The district is currently represented byDemocratAndré Carson, who won a special election in 2008 to succeed his grandmotherJulia Carson following her death in 2007. With aCook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+21, it is the most Democratic district in Indiana.[2]
After the loss of a congressional seat in 2000 by virtue of that year's census, an ambitious redistricting plan was implemented in 2002. As mentioned above, most of the old 10th became the new 7th, while the territory of the old 7th was split into the4th and8th districts.
This district and its predecessors have not elected aRepublican since1972, and it is considered a safeDemocratic seat.
As of 2023, Indiana's 7th congressional district is located entirely inMarion County, covering the capitalIndianapolis, except for the southernmost townships of the county.
Marion County is split between this district and the6th district. They are partitioned by E Troy Avenue. The 7th district encompasses the cities of Indianapolis andLawrence, and the surrounding six townships ofPike,Washington,Lawrence,Warren,Center, andWayne, and part of the city ofBeech Grove.
The current area of the 7th District is largely the same as what had been the 10th District from 1983 to 2003. It includes all of Center Township, now widely regarded as a Democratic stronghold due to its largeAfrican American population and gentrified middle class.
Traditionally, the city and the district have been more competitive and much moreRepublican. For years Indianapolis was one of the most Republican metropolitan areas in the country, particularly during the years whenRichard Lugar andWilliam H. Hudnut III served as Mayor of Indianapolis. However, in recent decades, much of the affluence of the city has begun to migrate to the edges of the city and outer Marion County, which has resulted in the Democratic lean. The southern portion of Marion County, which tilts more Republican, is not included in the district.
The southern and eastern parts of the district include the more modest neighborhoods of the city, which is home to Amtrak's largest repair yard. Since the late 1990s, there has been an influx of Mexican and Hispanic workers to the district, which has further increased its Democratic leanings. Also, as the industrial and financial center of Indiana, the district has been strongly influenced by the politics of the unions in the past; however, their influence over the district has become increasingly marginal in recent years.
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