Rep. André Carson easily wins primary, but GOP's 7th District choice died in March
In Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, incumbent André Carson easily won the Democratic nomination Tuesday.
Carson had 91% of the vote with all ballots counted. He's the favorite to win the November election, too, due to the Democratic-leaning makeup of the district, which includes only Marion County.
It's not totally clear, however, who the Republican candidate will be. Tuesday's top vote-getter was Jennifer Pace at 31%. However, Pace died of a heart attack after the deadline to change ballots. Right behind her is retired Army Lt. Catherine Ping with 30% of the vote. Pace received 320 votes more than Ping.
Republican Party insiders will choose a candidate to replace Pace in a caucus.
Ping has run for the 7th District seat four times previously: in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2016. She came within 13 percentage points of Carson in her 2014 run.
Also on the Republican side, retired postal worker Philip Davis had 26% and Gabe Whitley, a former candidate for Evansville mayor, had 13%.
Carson's Democratic opponents, Curtis Godfrey and Pierre Pullins, won 6% and 4% of the vote, respectively.
Carson has served nine terms since filling the seat in a 2007 special election. The seat was previously held by his grandmother, Julia Carson.
Read more: Here's who's challenging Rep. André Carson in Indiana's 7th Congressional District
Both of Carson's primary opponents have run against him in years past.
Pullins, a veteran and former warehouse worker, ran this year largely because of Carson’s voting record on the Israel-Hamas war and his belief that Carson unfairly won his congressional seat. Godfrey, a National Association for Black Veterans commander, is running in part to pass a bill he first advocated for in 2014 to secure veterans benefits.
Contact IndyStar politics intern Nadia Scharf at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @nadiaascharf.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rep. André Carson wins 7th District Democratic primary