[4] Carter, a Republican, served as chief of staff for John Mutz, Lieutenant Governor of Indiana from 1981 to 1989.
[4][5] Carter ran for Indiana Attorney General in 1996, but was narrowly defeated by Jeff Modisett.
Carter ran for the same office again in 2000, running on a platform of reducing drunk driving and cybercrime and bolstering consumer protection.
Carter defeated incumbent Karen Freeman-Wilson and served as Attorney General from 2001 to 2009, in the administrations of Governors Frank O'Bannon, Joe Kernan, and Mitch Daniels.
A focus of Carter's work as attorney general was developing a strong state "Do Not Call" Law restricting telemarketing.