Democratic candidates vie for 7th congressional seat

Republican Jon Elrod knows that his name will appear on the November ballot, but at least four Democrats continue to battle it out for a primary win. While there are many, many political similarities between the four front-runners Andre Carson, Carolene Mays,Woody Myers and David Orentlicher (all four are calling for a change in Washington, all four support health care reform, more money for education and an end to the war in Iraq), there are many differences as well.

And while differences in race, gender, religion and political experience between the candidates are the most obvious, money is perhaps the most significant difference between the four campaigns. How much each candidate has received and from whom those donations are coming reveals both the amount and type of support for each one. The funding also reveals stark differences in political strategy and alliances.

Andre Carson: heir apparent

Grandson of the late Julia Carson, Andre Carson has the least political experience, but is clearly the choice of the Democratic Party, both at the state level and nationally, to replace his grandmother in Congress.

In November 2007, Carson won a seat on the Indianapolis City-County Council, representing the 15th District when he replaced Patrice Abduallah after it was discovered that Abduallah did not live in the district. Abduallah, a longtime councilman, did not have a Republican opponent on the ballot, allowing Carson to run unopposed as well.

When his grandmother died of cancer the following month, Carson became the clear front-runner and popular favorite to replace her in Washington, D.C. He won the Democratic nomination with 223 of 439 delegate votes to face Republican Jon Elrod in the special election of March 11, 2008, and won the special election with 53 percent of the vote.

In addition to endorsements from state democratic leaders, Carson has also been endorsed by Barack Obama. Democrats both in Indiana and Washington, D.C., have been the single biggest group to financially support the continuance of the Carson family in Congress. Individually and through their political action committees, as well as through state and national committees, Democrats have contributed nearly $350,000 to Carson, comprising more than 45 percent of his total contributions through March 31.

Carson has also accepted the most contributions from lobbyists, including PACs, labor unions and other special interest groups. As of March 31, he had received 27 percent of his campaign financing, a total of more than $230,000, from special interest groups, with more than half of those funds coming from labor unions.

In recent debates, Carson has rejected accusations that accepting money from lobbyists contradicts his campaign’s promise for bold leadership and his campaign commercials in which he says lobbyists and CEOs have too much power in Washington. “We’ll accept their money,” Carson said during the debates, “but that doesn’t mean they’ll influence our votes.”

Carson is the second Muslim to be elected to Congress, and while his faith is not one of the major components to his campaign, many Muslims in Indiana and throughout the U.S. are supporting Carson’s candidacy. At a February fundraiser in Washington, held at the national headquarters of the Muslim civil rights organization, CAIR, as well as with continuing donations, Carson has raised nearly $75,000 from Muslim-American PACs and individuals.

For his part, Andre Carson wants to continue the legacy of his grandmother in Washington, D.C., and hopes voters want the same. Asked at a recent debate who his political role models are, he immediately responded, “Julia Carson and Andy Jacobs.”

Campaign contributions:

Democrats: $384,190 - (45%)

Lobbyists: (incl. PACs) $231,682 - (27%)

Individuals: (Indiana) $187,499 - (22%)

Individuals: (Other states) $59,640 - (7%)

Self: $0 - (0%)

Total: $863,020

Carolene Mays: God’s servant

The only woman among the four leading Democratic rivals, Carolene Mays is no stranger to Indianapolis or Indiana politics. Publisher and president of the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest African-American newspapers in America, Mays has also served in the Indiana General Assembly since 2002.

Mays has raised the least money of the candidates thus far, with only $112,500 raised through March 31. However, the contributions from residents of Indiana represent more than 75 percent of her total funds, the largest percentage of any of the candidates.

In addition to individual contributions to her campaign, Mays has also invested more than $10,000 of her own money, as well as accepted at least $12,000 from lobbyists. “You can look at my record,” Mays says about accepting funds from special interest groups, “I vote on the issue, not who gave me money.”

Mays is also the only one of the four candidates who has voted to ban same-sex marriage with an amendment to the state Constitution. While she says she did not support the ban, “I heard from many of my constituents that this is what they wanted,” Mays said when asked about her vote in the debates. “I had to represent their view, even if I felt differently.”

The two most recent debates between the candidates each addressed the question of faith and how faith should or shouldn’t influence a politician’s choices. For Mays, her Christian faith is the cornerstone of why she continues to seek public office.

“I believe that if you look at my record, not just in the Indiana General Assembly, but in this community at all levels, you will see that I have the heart to serve.” Mays has also featured her pastor in her commercials and is proud of his endorsement. “My pastor knows my heart, and he knows I have a heart to serve. I want the people of the 7th District to know that I have the heart to serve them in Washington,” she said during the debates.

“One of my favorite quotes is from Proverbs 31:8-9,” Mays writes on her campaign Web site. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.’ Proverbs goes on to talk about the virtuous woman who had talents in many areas; it discusses how strength and honor are her clothing and how she opens her mouth with wisdom. As your Congresswoman ... I vow to use my strengths, wisdom and compassion to represent you.”

Campaign contributions:

Individuals: (Indiana)$85,519 (76%)

Lobbyists: (incl. PACs) $12,000 (11%)

Self: $11,970 (10%)

Individuals: (Other states) $3,050 (3%)

Democrats: $0 (0%)

Total: $112,539

Woody Myers: medicine man

You’d be hard pressed to find a more quintessential story of the American Dream than the life story of Woody Myers.

To borrow from Lorraine Hainsberry, Myers was young, gifted and black — a combination that doesn’t always lead to the success it should, particularly in urban Indianapolis. But Myers graduated from Shortridge High School, went on to get a medical degree from Stanford and a business degree from Harvard and returned to Indiana as the health commissioner, where he made national headlines for defending the right of AIDS patient Ryan White to continue attending public schools.

Since then, Myers has worked in the private sector. At Ford Motor Company, he traveled to more than 20 countries, making sure that the auto company was providing the safest work environment and best health care possible for its employees. At Blue Cross, and later Wellpoint, he continued to combine his medical and business background, advocating for patient rights.

Throughout his 30-year professional career, Myers has also made a lot of money. And he has now invested a good deal of that money in his campaign to replace Julia Carson. Eighty-five percent of the nearly $1 million Myers had acquired for his campaign by March 31 came from his own pocket, a fact that has some of his opponents crying foul and accusing Myers of trying to buy his way into Congress.

For his part, Myers is unapologetic for his success and ambition. “I did what any guy with a family does,” he said when he came to the NUVO office recently. “I sat down and tried to make some wise investments.

“I graduated from Shortridge, went to school at Stanford and then Harvard and I made good money and hired good people to invest it well for me. And I want people to know that if a guy from 29th and Arsenal, a graduate of IPS schools, can be this successful, so can a lot of other people from that neighborhood. I want to be that kind of a role model for my neighborhood, and my hometown. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and the success I’ve had. I want to use what I’ve learned to help people in Indianapolis.”

In addition to his own funds, Myers has had a good number of contributions from the medical industry.

Of the nearly $12,000 he’s raised from individuals in Indiana, more than half has come from Wellpoint executives. His $12,000 in corporate donations also comes from Wellpoint and another medical company, Express Script. Additionally, Myers has received nearly $140,000 in out-of-state contributions from individuals — the majority physicians and other medical professionals.

Myers is steadfast in his commitment to reform health care in the U.S. and proud of his political independence. “I owe no one; I’m not part of any political machine. The only ‘special interest’ group that claims me as a member is patients — like everyone else, I want affordable and quality health care for all Americans.”

Campaign contributions:

Self: $812,515 (84%)

Individuals: Other states $138,831 (14%)

Lobbyists: (incl. PACs) $12,300 (1%)

Individuals: Indiana $11,743 (1%)

Democrats: $0 (0%)

Total: $975,389

David Orentlicher: the dark horse

A few years ago, NUVO examined the campaign contributions to 30 state legislators: 15 Republican and 15 Democrat. Overall, it turned out that nearly 90 percent of the legislators had received more than 90 percent of their campaign contributions from special interest lobbying groups. There was one stark difference, however: lawyer, doctor and professor David Orentlicher.

While the 30 campaigns reviewed received an average of 10 individual contributions each, Orentlicher collected 393 individual donations totaling nearly $56,000, or 42 percent of his total contributions — the largest number and largest amount of individual contributions received by any candidate. The campaign with the next highest number of individual contributors was that of Rep. Ed Mahern (D), who collected 54 individual donations totaling just under $6,000.

Orentlicher is the only non-African-American of the four leading Democratic candidates for the 7th congressional seat. He is also the only Jew. And he’s the only one who has received 100 percent of his campaign funding from individuals and has taken none from special interest groups, lobbyists or corporations. He also has not received any funds from the Democratic Party.

Just as he did when he ran for the Indiana General Assembly, Orentlicher has relied on individual donations to fund his campaign. At the end of March, he had received 329 individual contributions totaling more than $355,000, more than 80 percent of those coming from Indianapolis residents.

Orentlicher’s constant presence in the community accounts for his local support. Few, if any, local politicians attend more public events, take part in more town hall meetings, participate in more public forums or knock on as many doors as he does. When the property crisis hit Indiana last summer, Orentlicher was one of few Democrats at the state level to both promise tax reform and also work diligently to produce it — even when that meant being booed by angry crowds who had no patience with politicians making promises.

The death of Congresswoman Carson prompted Orentlicher to seek higher office on behalf of his home district. Since December, he has campaigned tirelessly for the nomination, and was a serious contender to Andre Carson when the Democrats were choosing who to put on the ballot of the special election.

However, despite having the highest number of Indianapolis contributors and contributions, Orentlicher’s funds could not match the personal funds of Myers or the Democratic funds of Carson, and he recently loaned his campaign more than $325,000 in order to stay competitive.

“I believe the only way to truly bring change to Washington,” Orentlicher said in his opening remarks at the most recent candidate debate, “is to refuse to take money from lobbyists and special interest groups. That’s why I have refused to take their money, and I call on my fellow candidates to do the same.”

While Orentlicher’s call went unanswered by his fellow candidates, he’s hoping it resonates loudly with voters.

Campaign contributions:

Self: $327,000 (48%)

Individuals: Indiana $285,777 (42%)

Individuals: Other states $70,050 (10%)

Lobbyists: (incl. PACs) $0 (0%)

Democrats: $0 (0%)

Total: $682,827

Editor’s note: Campaign finance data is based on reports filed by the candidates with the Federal Election Commission reflecting pre-primary income through March 31, 2008. Candidates continue to raise funds, and updated contribution information as well as all FEC-mandated disclosure forms can be found at www.fec.org