Race for Louisiana’s New Mostly Black Congressional District Heating Up with Three Candidates Officially Qualifying

The race for Louisiana’s new mostly Black congressional district is heating up as three candidates officially submitted paperwork to run in November. State Sen. Cleo Fields, former GOP lawmaker Elbert Guillory, and newcomer Quentin Anthony Anderson are all vying for the seat in the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District.

With the U.S. Supreme Court ordering the state to use the new political map for the upcoming election, Democrats are looking to flip a reliably red seat blue. Republicans, who have held the seat for most of the last 50 years, are fighting to maintain their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Fields, a Democrat looking to return to Washington, D.C., highlighted education, healthcare, and infrastructure as his top priorities. Guillory, a Republican, emphasized cracking down on crime and illegal immigration, as well as cutting federal spending abroad. Anderson, a newcomer, emphasized the open nature of the race and the need for candidates to make their case to voters in the district with new boundaries.

The new map, which includes a second majority-Black district, marks a win for Democrats and civil rights groups after a legal battle and political tug-of-war. Out of Louisiana’s six congressional seats, there is currently only one Democrat, Rep. Troy Carter, who is also the state’s sole Black member of Congress.

Candidates have until Friday evening to qualify for the Nov. 5 election, setting the stage for a competitive and closely watched race in Louisiana’s newly redrawn congressional district.