3 compete for Indianapolis’ US congressional seat
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The three candidates for Indiana’s 7th Congressional District have indicated some common ground on some policy issues.
Democrat André Carson has represented the district, which consists of most of Marion County, since 2007. He faces challenges from Republican Angela Grabovsky and Libertarian Gavin Maple, both of whom are political newcomers. Carson, Grabovsky and Maple are the only candidates running in the race.
Carson points to record
Carson said his work in Congress has brought more than a billion dollars’ worth of federal investment to date to Indiana and to Indianapolis in particular. He said he wants to continue this work for another term.
Since the start of the year, the Gun Violence Archive has counted at least 580 mass shootings in the United States, including this spring’s deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Carson said the country needs a minimum national standard of background checks, including mental health checks, for anyone trying to buy a gun. He said the current system allows people to go into another state with more lenient gun laws to avoid strict scrutiny.
Carson said the United States needs immigration reform that keeps families together and respects their dignity. He said there still needs to be a way to vet people coming into the country but policies need to provide ways for immigrants to help contribute to the U.S. economy. Carson said any immigration reform effort needs to include a path to citizenship for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program which was recently ruled unconstitutional in its original form.
On energy policy, Carson said no source of energy should be ruled out but the goal should be to transition away from fossil fuels as soon as possible. He said not only will this help the environment and public health, it also will give the United States more diplomatic leverage when dealing with autocratic rulers of oil-rich countries.
Carson said it’s time for Congress to address the legality of marijuana and cannabis-derived products. He said Congress should consider age restrictions and other ways to tax and regulate it.
“I think when we see the number of incarcerations related to these nonviolent offenders, it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Carson was among 30 members of the party’s progressive wing who signed a now-retracted letter to President Joe Biden urging diplomacy in Ukraine. Carson said the letter doesn’t advocate for any change in America’s level of support for Ukraine. Rather, it asks the Biden Administration to look for diplomatic solutions in addition to existing military and economic support for the Ukrainians.
Grabovsky draws on experience as refugee
Grabovsky was born in Soviet-era Ukraine and came to America with her family in 1989 as a refugee. She said she wants others to have the same opportunities the United States and Indiana gave her.
“We have to not just stop the policies of Andre Carson and Joe Biden, but we also have to reverse them,” she said. “I don’t want the United States to look like the USSR. I want us to have the freedoms. This is why we came here.”
Grabovsky has called for “smart gun reform.” When asked what she means by this, she pointed to red flag laws and mental health background checks for prospective gun buyers. Grabovsky said such policies should be left up to individual states rather than Congress.
On immigration, Grabovsky said illegal immigration is unfair to immigrants who spend years working their way through the process. She said both parties need to sit down and work together on how to secure the border and what to do about those who already are in the country.
Regarding energy policy, Grabovsky said the United States should invest in clean energy and other innovations to deal with the climate crisis. In the meantime, she said trying to adhere to a fixed timeline will only ruin the economy and hamstring America’s ability to invest in research.
Grabovsky said in her past life as a nurse, she saw firsthand how cannabis-derived products were able to ease the suffering of cancer patients. She said Congress should allow some level of medicinal use, though she drew the line at recreational marijuana use.
Regarding Ukraine, Grabovsky said she supports continued military aid to her native country but there needs to be accountability for where taxpayer dollars are going. She said the United States needs to press for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Maple calls two-party system broken
Maple said he decided to run due to frustration with restrictions the government imposed early in the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the two party system has proven itself incapable of solving the country’s problems.
Maple said the only way to prevent school shootings is to have armed officers in schools. He said while the situation is unfortunate, it’s the world we live in.
When it comes to immigration, Maple said he favors a more streamlined process to become a legal citizen. He said the border should still be secured and all prospective immigrants should be funneled through ports of entry.
On energy, Maple said the U.S. should investigate other alternative sources of energy. He said wind and solar are not reliable enough to provide a baseline.
Maple said he favors legalizing marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use at the federal level.
On Ukraine, Maple said he does not favor continued aid to that country.
“Vladimir Putin’s Russia means, I think, nothing to us,” he said. “We have so many things on this side of the world going on that I don’t understand what they want from us at this point.”