Episode 81: Indiana's Most Prominent Elected Dem Faces Primary Challenge
Guest: George Hornedo - Candidate for US House of Representatives (D-IN07)
Full show notes at https://hoosleft.us/
Guest Website: https://www.georgehornedo.com/
Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from an unapologetically leftist perspective. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers, I’m recording from Bloomington, and you’ve heard of elf on a shelf… but have you ever heard of Hornedo in a Tornado?
I spoke with my guest this past Friday night, just before a line of intense storms hit the area - a tornado touching down less than a mile from my house and causing a great deal of property damage. Thankfully, we were unaffected, my neighbors who did take on damage were not hurt, and Indiana largely avoided casualties during this severe weather outbreak. Our hearts go out to those in Missouri and Kentucky who’ve lost lives and livelihoods, and I will be keeping an eye on the state and federal response.
My guest this week is mounting a primary challenge against incumbent nine-term Democratic Congressman Andre Carson, who has represented Indiana’s 7th District since 2008. George Hornedo grew up and still lives on the Indy’s Northside, and has worked at the highest levels of state and national Democratic politics, including serving in the U.S. Department of Justice. Hornedo also worked for the Obama Foundation, leading mayoral outreach for the Reimagining Policing Pledge. He’s secured hundreds of millions of dollar for infrastructure, water systems, and economic development projects in cities across the country, and led federal government outreach for ClimateReady Tech Hub - a consortium of local governments, businesses, universities, and development organizations working to implement groundbreaking solutions for climate resilience and sustainability.
In this conversation, we’ll talk about George’s background and experience, his governing philosophy, and his priorities should he win this seat. We’ll also look at Congressman Carson’s record, the utility of labels like “moderate” or “progressive,” and I’ll ask if Hornedo is another in a long line of candidates sponsored by the ultra-Zionist lobby to take on incumbents who support Palestinian rights.
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Now, here is my interview with George Hornedo.
Things We Talked About:
American Dream Increasingly Out of Reach: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/10/16/the-american-dream-is-unattainable-for-many-according-to-research/
Pacers and Indy 500 on Same Day: https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/indy-500/2025/05/15/indiana-pacers-and-racers-2025-indianapolis-500-nba-playoffs-eastern-conference-finals-ims/83621893007/
Brown/Garner Killed by Police in 2014: https://www.npr.org/2014/08/22/342470785/in-new-york-and-ferguson-two-deaths-two-different-responses
Next Gen Hoosiers: https://www.nextgenhoosiers.com/blank-2
Center for Effective Lawmaking Scores: https://thelawmakers.org/find-representatives
Marion County Democratic Party Fundraising: https://www.transparencyusa.org/in/committee/marion-county-democratic-central-committee-363-regular-party
Indiana State Democratic Party Fundraising: https://www.transparencyusa.org/in/committee/indiana-democratic-state-central-committee-26-regular-party/
Low Voter Turnout in Indy: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/politics/elections/decision-2024/marion-county-sees-low-voter-turnout-compared-to-indianapolis-donut-counties-decision-2024-voting/531-bc4de5cc-da37-4f17-b09b-a2db8b5420cf
Affordable Housing Gap in Indiana: https://housing4hoosiers.org/2025/03/13/gap-report-2025/
Far-Right Hawley Says “Don’t Cut Medicaid” https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/12/congress/hawley-medicaid-cuts-warning-00341545https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/12/congress/hawley-medicaid-cuts-warning-00341545
See Total Raised vs. Average Raised: https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/andre-carson/summary?cid=N00029513
“Our Win Is Inevitable” https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2025/05/16/george-hornedo-andre-carson-7th-district
How Gerrymandering Hurts All Voters: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/redistricting-and-representation/
Pocan Takes Message to Neighboring Counties: https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/mark-pocan-gop-town-hall-meetings/
Spartz Held Two Town Halls: https://fox59.com/news/congresswoman-victoria-spartz-participates-in-pair-of-contentious-town-hall-events/
Carson Claims to Have Received Death Threats: https://www.wrtv.com/news/politics/congressman-andre-carson-holds-community-forum-answering-some-questions-from-hoosiers
Carson One of Only 14 Lawmakers To Stand Up For Khalil: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5188896-democrats-call-for-release-of-mahmoud-khalil/
AIPAC Claims Progressive Scalps: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/13/progressives-aipac-elections-threat-00173709
AIPAC Tracker: https://www.trackaipac.com/
Adelson Family Has Outsized Influence on US-Israel Policy (Though They Broke with AIPAC in 2007): https://www.timesofisrael.com/backed-by-deep-pockets-adelson-made-mark-with-unwavering-focus-on-israel/
Thanedar Upsets Other Dems With Impeachment Resolution: https://www.axios.com/2025/05/13/donald-trump-impeachment-thanedar-democrats-react
Thandear Himself an AIPAC Beneficiary: https://theintercept.com/2025/04/28/aipac-primary-democrat-shri-thanedar-donavan-mckinney-michigan/
Majority of Voters Want Trump Impeached: https://truthout.org/articles/poll-democrats-pledging-to-impeach-trump-could-help-their-2026-midterm-chances/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Democrats Face Tough Senate Map in ‘26: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/12/senate-democrats-2026-retirements-00227767
Some GOP Congressman Tell DOGE to Back Off After Angry Town Halls: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/after-earful-constituents-gop-reps-message-trump/story?id=119167976
Republican Balderson Says Trump “Out of Control” https://newrepublic.com/post/191815/republican-congressman-balderson-trump-out-control-executive-orders
Sanders, AOC Bring 12K to Nampa, ID: https://idahocapitalsun.com/2025/04/14/more-than-12000-idahoans-attend-sanders-ocasio-cortez-speech-in-nampa/
Buttigieg Enters Manosphere: https://www.theverge.com/internet-culture/654543/pete-buttigieg-flagrant-podcast
Once again, that was George Hornedo, Democratic for the US House of Representatives in Indiana’s 7th Congressional District. I’ll have follow-up thoughts for you in this week’s essay - look for that on Friday.
Also, last weekend we launched live Sunday morning talk show featuring a panel of guests from around state. I love the deep dives on a single topic that I get to do on this podcast, but I also want to talk more about current events in Indiana with a diverse group of Hoosiers. The network Sunday shows out of Indianapolis are okay, but half the time is wasted on bad-faith MAGA talking points with pushback from a very narrow section of the Democratic establishment.
HoosLeft This Week brings together panelists from the democratic socialist left to principled never-Trump conservatives. By removing the bad-faith reactionary arguments of the far-right, my hope is that we can demonstrate the full range of what is possible in our state once we come to our senses and toss these bums from office. Again, that airs every Sunday morning at 10:30am, streaming live on the Project Next Media network - YouTube, FaceBook Live, and Twitch - links in the show notes.
Hope to see you there in the comments, but feel free to reach out before then - I’m on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube and TikTok at hoosleft and on most other social media sites at scottrog78. You can also email me at scott@hoosleft.us.
Thanks again to our guest George Hornedo - you can find out more about the candidate, donate, and sign up to volunteer at georgehornedo.com. You can also donate to this project at HoosLeft.US, where you’ll find every episode and article we’ve ever published. Hit me up on social media with your feedback, tips, ideas, and concerns. Please forward the show to a friend and have them pass it on. Let’s keep building this project - and a truly democratic state - one conversation at a time. Until the next one, this has been the HoosLeft podcast. I’m Scott Aaron Rogers. Love each other, Indiana.
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