Indiana's 7th congressional district is a

congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional body. Countries with congressional districts includ ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. It is entirely located within Marion County and includes most of

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, except for the southern side, which is located within the 6th district. The district is currently represented by Democrat

André Carson André Darryl Carson (born October 16, 1974) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes the northern four-fifths of Indianapolis, including Downtown Ind ...

, who won a special election in 2008 to succeed his grandmother Julia Carson following her death in 2007. With a

Cook Partisan Voting Index The Cook Partisan Voting Index, abbreviated PVI or CPVI, is a measurement of how partisan a U.S. congressional district or U.S. state is. This partisanship is indicated as lean towards either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, com ...

rating of D+21, it is the most Democratic district in Indiana. The district is one of three to be represented by a

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in the United States, the others being Michigan's 12th, represented by

Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...

; and Minnesota's 5th, represented by Ilhan Omar.How many members of the new Congress are Catholic?
Michael J. O'Loughlin, January 3, 2019 From 1967 to 2003, the district served a completely different area of Indiana, covering

Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

, Parke, Tippecanoe, Montgomery, Clinton, Boone, Hendricks,

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, Putnam, and

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counties and parts of Morgan and

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counties. It had a dramatically different political history from the current 7th; it was a mostly rural area anchored by

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and its metropolitan area had a population of 168,716. Located along the Wabash River about e ...

and Lafayette, and was heavily Republican. 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 the 4th and

8th Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

districts. This district and its predecessors have not elected a Republican since

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

, and it is considered a safe Democratic seat.

Composition

As of 2023, Indiana's 7th congressional district is located entirely in Marion County, covering the capital

, except for the southernmost townships of the county. Marion County is split between this district and the 6th district. They are partitioned by E Troy Avenue. The 7th district encompasses the cities of Indianapolis and Lawrence, and the surrounding six townships of Pike, Washington, Lawrence, Warren, Center, and Wayne, and part of the city of Beech Grove.

Cities of 10,000 people or more

– 887,642 * Lawrence – 49,370 * Beech Grove – 14,717 *

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– 13,952

2,500 – 10,000 people

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

– 5,954

Recent election results from statewide races

History

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 large

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

population and gentrified middle class. Traditionally, the city and the district have been more competitive and much more Republican. For years Indianapolis was one of the most Republican metropolitan areas in the country, particularly during the years when

Richard Lugar Richard Green Lugar ( ; April 4, 1932 – April 28, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States Senate, United States Senator from Indiana from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republ ...

and William 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.

List of members representing the district

Recent election results

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Historical district boundaries

Notes

References

* *
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indiana's 7th Congressional District 07 Marion County, Indiana Government of Indianapolis Constituencies established in 1833 1833 establishments in Indiana