In a follow-up to Tom's earlier post, Louis Farrakhan could also make an impact on the March 11 special election race for Indiana's vacant 7th District seat.

During the funeral for the late Democratic Rep. Julia Carson, who died in December, Farrakhan's eulogy included an endorsement of Carson's grandson, Andre Carson, an Indianapolis City-County councilor who's now the Democratic nominee for the seat. And as the Indianapolis Star reports the untimely endorsement has not exactly made life easier on Carson's campaign. He's had to meet with local and national Jewish leaders to dispel any notions that he shares certain views with Farrakhan, whom they see as a leading anti-Semitic voice.

If Carson, a Muslim, wins the open seat in two weeks, he will become the second Muslim ever elected to Congress. The first was Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, who was elected to Minnesota's open 5th District in 2006. Ellison also was forced to fend off connections between himself and Farrakhan, and claimed to be unaware of the Nation of Islam's anti-Semitic views.

For more on the 7th District special election race, click over to Politics Nation.

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