https://progressiveindiana.net
SUMMARY:
On this edition of the Concerned Clergy Radio Show, Revs. Alexander and Greene welcomed George Hornedo, a Democratic primary candidate challenging incumbent Congressman Andre Carson in Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, with the May 5, 2026 primary now underway. Hornedo outlined his background — from a WIC-assisted childhood in Texas to senior roles in the Obama Justice Department and on multiple presidential campaigns — and framed his run around the conviction that a congressional seat is more than an up-or-down vote in Washington; it is a platform and a megaphone for the entire community. The conversation ranged from the affordability crisis hitting Hoosier families, to Hornedo’s case for restructuring the federal funding formula so Democratic cities in Republican-led states stop getting shortchanged, to a played audio clip of President Trump arguing the federal government should abandon social programs in favor of military spending alone, to Hornedo’s alarm about the erosion of democratic norms. Greene Sr. wove in his own state Senate District 29 campaign, emphasizing coalition-building across levels of government and the moral imperative of putting people first. Both men agreed that disillusionment is not an option — the choice, as Hornedo put it, is to step away or step up. He closed by directing listeners to georgehornedo.com and inviting direct contact by giving out his cell number.
WHAT’S INSIDE
00:00:01 Introduction and Opening Prayer
- Alexander opens by promoting the PIN Substack replay and encouraging listeners to exercise their right to vote, noting that early voting is now underway
- The show’s guest is introduced as George Hornedo, Democratic primary candidate for Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Congressman Andre Carson
- Alexander offers an opening prayer and invites listener participation at 317-480-1310
- Greene Sr. is welcomed as co-host for the evening
00:02:59 Guest Introduction: George Hornedo
- Hornedo describes his background: 35 years old, raised in Texas, parents were young high school sweethearts who struggled financially — he was on WIC as an infant, which he cites as formative in his belief that government can work for people
- His career has spanned the Obama DOJ (civil rights work under Attorneys General Holder and Lynch), senior staff roles on presidential campaigns from Obama to Clinton to Buttigieg, voter protection work for Biden 2020, and policy work at the national voting rights organization Let America Vote
- He also cites private-sector work representing communities such as Birmingham, Jackson, Little Rock, Miami-Dade County, and the African American Mayors Association in securing federal funds
- He frames his candidacy not as personal opposition to Carson, whom he says he likes and respects, but as a response to necessity — particularly on issues like data center development and ICE enforcement where he sees the incumbent as too passive
00:06:24 Federal Funding, Affordability, and the Federal Formula
- Greene stresses the urgency of getting federal dollars into Indiana and into the right hands, noting that families are being crushed by rising grocery costs, utility instability, gas prices, and property taxes — including seniors cutting prescription pills in half to afford them
- Hornedo explains that Indianapolis lags behind peer cities in competitive federal grant attainment and argues for a more aggressive, proactive approach to bringing that money home
- He identifies a structural problem in federal formula funding: money flows to states based on population rather than need, which allows Republican-led states to shortchange Democratic cities — a pattern he says he saw repeatedly representing cities like Birmingham, Jackson, and Little Rock
- He calls for a coalition of members of Congress from similar cities to push for formula reform, arguing the change would be transformative for Indianapolis across housing, roads, homelessness, and public safety
00:10:15 Coalition Building Across Government: Greene Sr. on Senate District 29
- Alexander invites Greene to put on his state Senate candidate hat and model what collaboration between a state senator and a congressperson could look like
- Greene argues that Indiana’s tendency to operate in government silos — federal, state, and local officials staying in their own lanes — is a losing strategy; breaking down those walls so information flows freely would benefit everyone from the congressperson down to local trustees
- He points to Indianapolis’s road conditions as the most visible symptom of governments failing to work together and stresses that coalition-building is not optional — it is the only path forward against Republican supermajorities
00:13:58 Campaign Model: Bottom-Up Politics and the Trust Deficit
- Hornedo argues the biggest problem in Democratic politics, before you even get to policy, is an erosion of trust that cannot be rebuilt through TV ads
- He describes building what he says is the largest Democratic field operation the state has seen in years: over 38,000 doors knocked, on track for 60,000; over a million calls made; direct one-on-one conversations with more than 16,000 district residents
- He contends that voters do not care whether a solution comes from federal, state, or local government — they just want problems solved — and that a congressperson should be willing to use their platform on any issue affecting the community, regardless of jurisdictional lines
- He specifically cites his presence at the Martindale-Brightwood community hearing on data centers as an example of using the congressional platform on a nominally local issue
00:18:40 Leadership Vacuum and the 2027 Mayoral Race
- Hornedo says he got into the race because he got tired of looking around for leadership and not finding it — the state blames the city, the city blames the state, and federal representation sits on the sidelines
- He notes that the 7th District is Indiana’s only safe Democratic congressional seat, making it uniquely important, and links it to the need for new mayoral leadership in 2027
- He flags that when Julia Carson held the seat, the district led the state in voter turnout; it now ranks worst in a state that itself ranks dead last nationally — a condition he calls both embarrassing and reversible
- He frames his campaign as an ecosystem-building effort: getting to Congress is the beginning, not the destination, and the goal is to build a Democratic infrastructure that can win across the board
00:21:41 Commercial Break
00:22:16 Post-Break Recap and Listener Call: Marilyn
- Alexander recaps the guest and reminds listeners that early voting is open at the City-County Building downtown
- Caller Marilyn asks Hornedo how many opponents he faces; he clarifies that four candidates are in the Democratic primary — not the general — and that the seat is safe enough that whoever emerges will almost certainly win in November
- Marilyn asks whether Hornedo would collaborate with the winner if he does not prevail; he says yes without hesitation, affirming he will continue working for the community from whatever position he occupies
- Marilyn raises property taxes on Indianapolis’s east side, where new development is driving up assessments on existing homeowners; Hornedo sympathizes and says property tax reform is primarily a state and local matter, but pledges to use his platform to force the conversation
00:27:17 Affordability Deep Dive: Wages, Costs, and Medicaid
- Greene ties affordability to federal decisions cascading down — wars driving gas prices, utility instability, property tax referenda for schools — and describes meeting voters on fixed incomes forced to choose between medication and groceries
- Hornedo frames the budget as a moral document and takes direct aim at Trump’s proposed spending on military conflict while cutting domestic programs
- He describes voters he has met on the trail: a 25-year IPS educator using a food bank, a mother of two boys with autism facing special education cuts, a woman with multiple sclerosis denied food stamps because she earns $100 over the threshold
- He recounts visiting a woman in her forties with deep vein thrombosis, diabetic neuropathy, and severe arthritis who has been denied Medicaid appeal after appeal since returning to Indiana from Pennsylvania — a story he calls the most formative of his campaign
00:34:05 Audio Clip: President Trump on Federal Spending
- Alexander frames the clip for listeners as the current federal direction and turns to Hornedo for response
00:35:18 Response to Trump Clip: Federal Devolution and Democratic Strategy
- Hornedo argues Democratic candidates in competitive general elections should run that clip as a campaign ad — Trump called these programs “scams” and told his own cabinet secretary to ignore congressional authority
- He distinguishes between block granting (still federal money, states determine distribution) and what Trump is describing: removing federal funding from the equation entirely, something without modern precedent that would effectively end these programs
- He warns that Trump should be taken seriously and literally, including on election integrity — an outside group is reportedly working with the White House on executive orders targeting election administration, and the question is not whether elections will happen but whether they will be free and fair
00:39:23 Voter Engagement and the Urgency of the Primary
- Alexander asks Greene what he is hearing on the campaign trail about voter enthusiasm
- Greene says frustration will drive turnout, and stresses that a Democratic Congress capable of providing real oversight is essential given that Trump is acting without congressional check
- He describes the current dynamic as Trump pushing responsibility to states, Indiana Governor Mike Braun pushing it further to local governments, and local governments lacking the revenue to absorb it
- Hornedo urges listeners not to let disillusionment become inaction: the choice is to step away or step up, and stepping up can mean voting, talking to neighbors, or using whatever platform is available
00:43:22 Infrastructure and the Federal Funding Formula
- Alexander raises Indiana’s road conditions; Hornedo says Indiana ranks worst in the country in infrastructure
- He argues a more aggressive congressperson can bring competitive grant money home, freeing up city budgets for infrastructure, and that the federal funding formula itself must be reformed so Democratic cities in Republican-led states stop getting the short end
- He notes that federal road funding currently flows to the state, which as a Republican-led body consistently shortchanges Indianapolis
00:47:45 Closing Conversation: Accountability and People-First Politics
- Greene argues a blue wave alone is not enough — it must be a blue wave that puts people first, with fresh voices willing to do an honest accountability check on how the party got where it is
- He notes Democrats cannot ask the same people who got them here to fix the problem, and that owning the failures is not finger-pointing — it is the prerequisite for doing something different
- Hornedo affirms he is proud to be a Democrat but says he is a person first, and that putting people before party is the only path to real results
00:50:19 Closing: Contact Information and Voting Reminder
- Hornedo directs listeners to georgehornedo.com and gives his personal cell (317-354-7073) and email (george@georgehornedo.com)
- Alexander thanks Hornedo, reminds listeners that early voting is available now at the City-County Building and by mail-in ballot, and that the primary is May 5
- Alexander closes: “Be blessed.”
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