Candidates Talk Race, Religion In 7th District Forum

INDIANAPOLIS -- With a little more than two weeks until the primary, 7th District congressional candidates gathered Sunday to talk about topics normally only whispered about -- race and religion.

At the forum, held at Light of the World Christian Church, candidates spoke frankly about their religions and about race, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

Five black candidates are running for the seat. Some of them suggested that fact could hurt all of their chances.

"The voters are being told that we are going to split the black vote because there are credible, good candidates in this race," said Carolene Mays, a Democratic candidate. "I think that's something that we should be applauding."

"When I was growing up in this city, there were certain places that someone who looked like me could not go," said Dr. Woody Myers, a Democratic candidate.

While Myers said he thinks race relations have come a long way, many candidates agreed that there's plenty of room for further improvement.

"Even today, we see that blacks and other minorities suffer discrimination when they try to rent an apartment, secure a job or obtain medical care," said David Orentlicher, a Democratic candidate.

Republican Jon Elrod responded to the suggestion that a black candidate should win, since much of the district's constituents are black.

"All I can say is that I'm a listener. I'm trying to find solutions to the problems and I will represent all people in my district," Elrod said.

The candidates touched on Iraq, education and campaign contributions.

"No PAC dollars or individual contribution will ever change our stance," said Democrat Andre Carson, who currently holds the seat after a special election earlier this year. "We'll take the money, but you know up front we will not change our stance on these issues."

Some people in the audience said the forum will make a difference to the outcome in May and November.

"There are a few newcomers that I wasn't familiar with," said Tracy Boyd. "This actually gave me an opportunity to find out what they were about. So, I'm glad I came."

As one of the moderators pointed out, this 7th District campaign will likely be the most expensive in Indianapolis history, possibly in state history.