INDIANAPOLIS -- A grandson of the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson won Tuesday's special election to succeed her, securing the seat for the rest of the year and becoming the second Muslim ever elected to Congress.

With every 7th Congressional District precinct reporting, Andre Carson, a Democrat, had 54 percent of the vote. State Rep. Jon Elrod, R-Indianapolis, had 43 percent, and Sean Shepard, a Libertarian, had 2.9 percent.

Carson (pictured) had 9,276 more votes than Elrod, with 84,750 votes having been cast, according to unofficial results released by Marion County.

Carson, 33, a member of Indianapolis City-County Council since August, will join Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., as the only Muslims in Congress.

Speaking to supporters in a downtown Indianapolis hotel, Carson said one of his top priorities would be ending the war in Iraq.

"We need to bring our men and women back home and end this useless war," Carson said.

He will represent the 7th District, which covers much of Indianapolis, in Washington through 2008. In just eight weeks, he'll face a primary election for the right to vie in November for a two-year term.

Tuesday's special election, which ran from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., was necessary because Julia Carson died in December after a battle with cancer.

When asked why he thought people voted for him, Carson said he thought "people saw the authenticity of this campaign."

"They saw the diversity, the nature of this campaign, and they saw that we were talking about the issues that matter," he said.

Elrod did not concede defeat Tuesday night, saying he wanted to wait until all votes were counted. He said he was proud of his campaign, arguing that it focused on ideas rather than attacking his opponents.

"It's not a shame to lose an election. It's a shame to serve the wrong ideas," Elrod told supporters late Tuesday. "This is a campaign that appealed to the highest ideals -- these pragmatic solutions to the grave problems that are facing our nation."

He told his supporters he wanted to congratulate Carson on "a well fought campaign" and would speak to him once all the votes were counted.

Carson Faces Primary In Eight Weeks

Carson will face seven challengers in the May 6 primary, including state Reps. David Orentlicher and Carolene Mays and former state health commissioner Woodrow Myers.

Carson was asked what he'll do to try to retain the seat he just won.

"We're going to do what we've always done: We're going to take it up 50 notches and we're going to keep working on behalf of the people," he responded. "That's what got us here, and that's what will keep us here."

Elrod could get another shot at the seat, as he and two political unknowns have filed for the May 6 GOP primary. Elrod, 30, is a first-term state representative, having won election in 2006 by eight votes over a five-term Democratic incumbent.

The congressional district is predominantly Democratic, and Carson had a large fundraising advantage over Elrod, along with more than $150,000 in spending by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Carson's behalf.

Julia Carson, a Democrat who first won election to Congress in 1996, was the first black to represent Indianapolis in Congress -- from a district that is nearly two-thirds white.

Andre Carson, whose grandmother raised him in a Baptist church, converted to Islam more than a decade ago. His religious identity drew little attention during the campaign, and Carson said he didn't believe it hurt him politically.

Some problems were reported at the polls Tuesday morning. There was either equipment trouble or people who didn't show up or have the proper materials at seven precincts, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

Polls opened with some delays, said Angie Nussmeyer, a spokeswoman for the Marion County Clerk. All polling sites were open by 7 a.m., she said.

Obama, Clinton Congratulate Carson

Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton briefly turned their attentions to Indiana with Andre Carson's election to Congress.

Obama and Clinton, both Democratic candidates for president, separately telephoned the Indianapolis Democrat to congratulate him on his victory, Carson said.

In a written statement from Chicago, Obama said he expected Carson to be like Julia Carson by being "a tireless fighter for Indiana's working men and women." The Illinois senator said he looked forward to working with Carson in Congress to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq and to work together in other causes.

Clinton, in an e-mailed statement of her own on Wednesday, said he congratulated Carson on a hard-fought victory.

"He won ... on the strength of a positive agenda for the working families of Indianapolis and the nation," she said. "I know he will continue the important work of his grandmother Julia, who was such a powerful advocate in Congress for the voiceless in our society."

With Obama and Clinton still battling for the Democratic presidential nomination, Indiana's primary on May 6 could help decide the nomineee for the first time in 40 years.