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Louisiana's 2nd congressional district

Coordinates: 30°02′48″N 90°34′07″W / 30.04667°N 90.56861°W / 30.04667; -90.56861
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Louisiana's 2nd congressional district
Map
Map
Interactive map of district boundaries
Representative
Distribution
  • 94.68% urban[1]
  • 5.42% rural
Population (2023)742,904[2]
Median household
income
$48,717[2]
Ethnicity
Cook PVID+25[3]

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district contains nearly all of the city of New Orleans and stretches west and north to Baton Rouge. The district is currently represented by Democrat Troy Carter. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+25, it is the only Democratic district in Louisiana.[3]

History

[edit]

Louisiana gained a second district in 1823 as part of the 18th United States Congress. At first it comprised New Orleans and significant populations from surrounding areas. With the growth of population in the urban area, the current district is located mostly within the city of New Orleans.

Since the late 19th century, this has been historically among the most safely Democratic seats in the country, for sharply opposing reasons. During Reconstruction, most African Americans affiliated with the Republican Party and, as a majority, elected Republicans from this district.

White Democrats regained control of the district in 1891, when voter suppression of Republicans was rampant. In 1898 the Democratic-dominated state legislature had disenfranchised most blacks in the state through provisions of a new state constitution that raised barriers to voter registration, such as poll taxes and subjective literacy tests. The Democrats had maintained the political exclusion of blacks for decades. Like most congressional districts in the South, this district consistently voted Democratic from the late 19th century until the late 1960s, because the voters during that time were nearly all white Democrats. Such Democrats created what was known as the Solid South in Congress, exercising power beyond their proportion of the electorate.

From the 1960s onward, however, white conservatives began splitting their tickets and voting Republican, gradually switching outright to the GOP. At the same time, black voters regained the franchise and lent their support to Democrats. Since 1984, the district has been drawn as a black-majority district.

In 2008, after a federal grand jury indicted nine-term incumbent congressman William J. Jefferson on sixteen felony charges related to corruption the year prior, Joseph Cao was elected as the first Republican to represent the 2nd congressional district and most of New Orleans in more than a century. Cao was the first Vietnamese-American U.S. Representative elected in the country. He was the only Republican in the 111th Congress to represent a district with a predominantly African-American population. Cao was heavily defeated in 2010 by state representative Cedric Richmond, and the district reverted to its Democratic ways. Richmond defeated nominal Republican challengers in 2012 and 2020, and no Republican even filed from 2014 to 2018.

For most of the period from 1983 to 2013, this district contained nearly all of the city of New Orleans (except for a small portion located in the neighboring 1st congressional district), and some of its suburbs. In 2003, it was pushed into the West Bank portion of Jefferson Parish and South Kenner, which have a higher proportion of white residents.[4] After the 2010 census, the legislature pushed the 2nd slightly to the west, picking up a portion of Baton Rouge–essentially, most of the capital's majority-black precincts.

The 2024 Allen v. Milligan decision dictated a new majority-black precinct, redrawing the 6th district. The 2nd district loses the Baton Rouge area and the northeast Orleans Parish but now represents the whole of the Iberville and Assumption Parishes, as well as Arabi and Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish.[5]

Recent presidential elections

[edit]
Election results from presidential races
Year Office Results
2000 President Gore 76–22%
2004 President Kerry 75–24%
2008 President Obama 74–25%
2012 President Obama 76–23%
2016 President Clinton 75–22%
2020 President Biden 75–23%

List of members representing the district

[edit]
Member Party Term Cong
ress
Electoral history Location
District created March 4, 1823
Henry Hosford Gurley
(Baton Rouge)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825
18th
19th
20th
21st
Elected in 1822.
Re-elected in 1824.
Re-elected in 1826.
Re-elected in 1828.
Retired.
1823–1833
East Baton Rouge, Feliciana, Iberville, West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, Saint Helena, Saint Tammany, and Washington parishes
Anti-Jacksonian March 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1831

Philemon Thomas
(Baton Rouge)
Jacksonian March 4, 1831 –
March 3, 1835
22nd
23rd
Elected in 1830.
Re-elected in 1832.
Retired.
1833–1843
[data missing]

Eleazer Wheelock Ripley
(Jackson)
Jacksonian March 4, 1835 –
March 3, 1837
24th
25th
Elected in 1834.
Re-elected in 1836.
Retired but died before next term began.
Democratic March 4, 1837 –
March 2, 1839


Vacant March 2, 1839 –
March 4, 1839
25th
Thomas Withers Chinn
(Baton Rouge)
Whig March 4, 1839 –
March 3, 1841
26th Elected in 1838.
Retired.

John Bennett Dawson
(St. Francisville)
Democratic March 4, 1841 –
March 3, 1843
27th Elected in 1840.
Redistricted to the 3rd district.
Alcée Louis la Branche
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 4, 1843 –
March 3, 1845
28th Elected in 1842.
Retired.
1843–1853
[data missing]
Bannon Goforth Thibodeaux
(Thibodaux)
Democratic March 4, 1845 –
March 3, 1849
29th
30th
Elected in 1844.
Re-elected in 1846.
Retired.

Charles Magill Conrad
(New Orleans)
Whig March 4, 1849 –
August 17, 1850
31st Elected in 1848.
Resigned to become United States Secretary of War.
Vacant August 17, 1850 –
December 5, 1850

Henry Adams Bullard
(New Orleans)
Whig December 5, 1850 –
March 3, 1851
Elected to finish Conrad's term.
Retired.
Joseph Aristide Landry
(Donaldsonville)
Whig March 4, 1851 –
March 3, 1853
32nd Elected in 1850.
Retired.
Theodore Gaillard Hunt
(New Orleans)
Whig March 4, 1853 –
March 3, 1855
33rd Elected in 1852.
Lost re-election as a Know Nothing candidate.
1853–1863
[data missing]

Miles Taylor
(Donaldsonville)
Democratic March 4, 1855 –
February 5, 1861
34th
35th
36th
Elected in 1854.
Re-elected in 1856.
Re-elected in 1858.
Withdrew due to onset of Civil War.
Vacant February 5, 1861 –
February 17, 1863
36th
37th
Civil War

Michael Hahn
(New Orleans)
Union February 17, 1863 –
March 3, 1863
37th Elected in 1862.[a]
Retired.
Vacant March 4, 1863–
July 18, 1868
38th
39th
40th
Civil War and Reconstruction
James Mann
(New Orleans)
Democratic July 18, 1868 –
August 26, 1868
40th Elected to finish the vacant term.
Died.
1868–1873
[data missing]
Vacant August 26, 1868 –
March 3, 1869
On November 3, 1868, John Willis Menard won a special election for the remainder of Mann's term in the 40th Congress, running alongside Lionel Allen Sheldon, who was running to represent the district for a full term in the 41st. Menard and Sheldon received the same number of votes and were both declared winners. But the losing candidate, Caleb S. Hunt, appealed to the U.S. House of Representatives to deny Menard the seat. The House could not reach a consensus on seating either man, so the seat was kept vacant until the 41st Congress. Menard was the first black person elected to Congress, as well as the first black person to address Congress.[7]

Lionel Allen Sheldon
(New Orleans)
Republican March 4, 1869 –
March 3, 1875
41st
42nd
43rd
Elected in 1868.
Re-elected in 1870.
Re-elected in 1872.
Lost re-election.
1873–1883
[data missing]

Ezekiel John Ellis
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 3, 1885
44th
45th
46th
47th
48th
Elected in 1874.
Re-elected in 1876.
Re-elected in 1878.
Re-elected in 1880.
Re-elected in 1882.
Retired.
1883–1893
[data missing]

Michael Hahn
(New Orleans)
Republican March 3, 1885 –
March 15, 1886
49th Elected in 1884.
Died.
Vacant March 15, 1886 –
December 9, 1886

Nathaniel Dick Wallace
(New Orleans)
Democratic December 9, 1886 –
March 3, 1887
Elected to finish Hahn's term.
Retired.

Matthew Diamond Lagan
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 4, 1887 –
March 3, 1889
50th Elected in 1886.
Retired.

Hamilton D. Coleman
(New Orleans)
Republican March 4, 1889 –
March 3, 1891
51st Elected in 1888.
Lost re-election.

Matthew Diamond Lagan
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 4, 1891 –
March 3, 1893
52nd Elected in 1890.
Retired.

Robert Charles Davey
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 4, 1893 –
March 3, 1895
53rd Elected in 1892.
Retired.
1893–1903
[data missing]

Charles Francis Buck
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 4, 1895 –
March 3, 1897
54th Elected in 1894.
Retired to run for Mayor of New Orleans.

Robert Charles Davey
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 4, 1897 –
December 26, 1908
55th
56th
57th
58th
59th
60th
Elected in 1896.
Re-elected in 1898.
Re-elected in 1900.
Re-elected in 1902.
Re-elected in 1904.
Re-elected in 1906.
Re-elected in 1908 but died before next term began.
1903–1913
[data missing]
Vacant December 26, 1908 –
March 30, 1909
60th
61st

Samuel Louis Gilmore
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 30, 1909 –
July 18, 1910
61st Elected to finish Davey's term.
Died.
Vacant July 18, 1910 –
November 8, 1910

H. Garland Dupré
(New Orleans)
Democratic November 8, 1910 –
February 21, 1924
61st
62nd
63rd
64th
65th
66th
67th
68th
Elected to finish Gilmore's term.
Also elected to the next full term.
Re-elected in 1912.
Re-elected in 1914.
Re-elected in 1916.
Re-elected in 1918.
Re-elected in 1920.
Re-elected in 1922.
Died.
1913–1923
[data missing]
1923–1933
[data missing]
Vacant February 21, 1924 –
April 22, 1924
68th

James Z. Spearing
(New Orleans)
Democratic April 22, 1924 –
March 3, 1931
68th
69th
70th
71st
Elected to finish Deupré's term.
Re-elected later in 1924.
Re-elected in 1926.
Re-elected in 1928.
Lost renomination.

Paul H. Maloney
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 4, 1931 –
December 15, 1940
72nd
73rd
74th
75th
76th
Elected in 1930.
Re-elected in 1932.
Re-elected in 1934.
Re-elected in 1936.
Re-elected in 1938.
Lost renomination and resigned to become collector of internal revenue for the New Orleans district.
1933–1943
[data missing]
Vacant December 15, 1940 –
January 3, 1941
76th

Hale Boggs
(New Orleans)
Democratic January 3, 1941 –
January 3, 1943
77th Elected in 1940.
Lost renomination.

Paul H. Maloney
(New Orleans)
Democratic January 3, 1943 –
January 3, 1947
78th
79th
Elected in 1942.
Re-elected in 1944.
Retired.
1943–1953
[data missing]

Hale Boggs
(New Orleans)
Democratic January 3, 1947 –
January 3, 1973
80th
81st
82nd
83rd
84th
85th
86th
87th
88th
89th
90th
91st
92nd
Elected in 1946.
Re-elected in 1948.
Re-elected in 1950.
Re-elected in 1952.
Re-elected in 1954.
Re-elected in 1956.
Re-elected in 1958.
Re-elected in 1960.
Re-elected in 1962.
Re-elected in 1964.
Re-elected in 1966.
Re-elected in 1968.
Re-elected in 1970.
Re-elected posthumously in 1972.
Presumed dead after private plane went missing over Alaska October 16, 1972. Seat declared vacant at beginning of the 93rd Congress.
1953–1963
[data missing]
1963–1973
[data missing]
Vacant January 3, 1973 –
March 20, 1973
93rd   1973–1983
[data missing]

Lindy Boggs
(New Orleans)
Democratic March 20, 1973 –
January 3, 1991
93rd
94th
95th
96th
97th
98th
99th
100th
101st
Elected to finish her husband's term.
Re-elected in 1974.
Re-elected in 1976.
Re-elected in 1978.
Re-elected in 1980.
Re-elected in 1982.
Re-elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Retired.
1983–1993
[data missing]

William J. Jefferson
(New Orleans)
Democratic January 3, 1991 –
January 3, 2009
102nd
103rd
104th
105th
106th
107th
108th
109th
110th
Elected in 1990.
Re-elected in 1992.
Re-elected in 1994.
Re-elected in 1996.
Re-elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000.
Re-elected in 2002.
Re-elected in 2004.
Re-elected in 2006.
Lost re-election.
1993–2003
[data missing]
2003–2013

Joseph Cao
(New Orleans)
Republican January 3, 2009 –
January 3, 2011
111th Elected in 2008.
Lost re-election.

Cedric Richmond
(New Orleans)
Democratic January 3, 2011 –
January 15, 2021
112th
113th
114th
115th
116th
117th
Elected in 2010.
Re-elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Re-elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.
Resigned to become Senior Advisor to the President.[8]
2013–2023
Vacant January 15, 2021 –
May 11, 2021
117th

Troy Carter
(New Orleans)
Democratic May 11, 2021 –
present
117th
118th
Elected to finish Richmond's term.
Re-elected in 2022.
2023–2025

Recent election results

[edit]

2002

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2002)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William J. Jefferson (Incumbent) 90,310 63.53
Democratic Irma Muse Dixon 28,480 20.03
Republican Silky Sullivan 15,440 10.86
Democratic Clarence "Buddy" Hunt 4,137 2.91
Libertarian Wayne Clement 3,789 2.67
Total votes 142,156 100.00
Turnout  
Democratic hold

2004

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2004)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William J. Jefferson (Incumbent) 173,510 79.01
Republican Art Schwertz 46,097 20.99
Total votes 219,607 100.00
Turnout  
Democratic hold

2006

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District General Election (2006)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William J. Jefferson (Incumbent) 28,283 30.08
Democratic Karen Carter Peterson 20,364 21.66
Democratic Derrick D.T. Shepherd 16,799 17.87
Republican Joe Lavigne 12,511 13.31
Democratic Troy A. Carter 11,304 12.02
Republican Eric T. Bradley 1,159 1.23
Democratic Regina H Bartholomew 1,125 1.20
Total votes 91,545 100.00
Turnout  
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District General Election RUNOFF (December 9, 2006)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William J. Jefferson (Incumbent) 35,153 56.55
Democratic Karen Carter Peterson 27,011 43.45
Total votes 62,164 100.00
Turnout  
Democratic hold

2008

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (December 6, 2008)
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joseph Cao 33,132 49.54
Democratic William J. Jefferson (Incumbent) 31,318 46.83
Green Malik Rahim 1,883 2.82
Libertarian Gregory W. Kahn 549 0.82
Total votes 66,882 100.00
Turnout  
Republican gain from Democratic

2010

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2010)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cedric Richmond 83,705 64.59
Republican Joseph Cao (Incumbent) 43,378 33.47
Independent Anthony Marquize 1,876 1.45
Independent Jack Radosta 645 0.50
Total votes 129,604 100.00
Turnout  
Democratic gain from Republican

2012

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2012)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cedric Richmond (Incumbent) 158,501 55.20
Democratic Gary Landrieu 71,916 25.00
Republican Dwayne Bailey 38,801 13.50
Republican Josue Larose 11,345 3.90
Libertarian Caleb Trotter 6,791 2.40
Total votes 287,354 100.00
Turnout  
Democratic hold

2014

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2014)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cedric Richmond (Incumbent) 152,201 68.69
Democratic Gary Landrieu 37,805 17.06
No Party David Brooks 16,327 7.37
Libertarian Samuel Davenport 15,237 6.88
Total votes 221,570 100.00
Turnout   47.6
Democratic hold

2016

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2016)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cedric Richmond (Incumbent) 198,289 69.75
Democratic Kip Holden 57,125 20.10
Democratic Kenneth Cutno 28,855 10.15
Total votes 284,269 100.00
Turnout   67.7
Democratic hold

2018

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2018)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cedric Richmond (Incumbent) 190,182 80.6
Independent Jesse Schmidt 20,465 8.7
Independent Belden "Noonie Man" Batiste 17,260 7.3
Independent Shawndra Rodriguez 8,075 3.4
Total votes 235,982 100.0
Democratic hold

2020

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2020)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cedric Richmond (Incumbent) 201,636 63.61
Republican David Schilling 47,575 15.01
Democratic Glenn Adrain Harris 33,684 10.63
Republican Sheldon Vincent, Sr. 15,565 4.91
Independent Belden "Noonie Man" Batiste 12,268 3.87
Independent Colby James 6,254 1.97
Total votes 316,982 100.0
Democratic hold

2021 (special)

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Special Election (March 20, 2021)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Troy Carter 34,402 36.38
Democratic Karen Carter Peterson 21,673 22.92
Democratic Gary Chambers Jr. 20,163 21.31
Republican Claston Bernard 9,237 9.77
Republican Chelsea Ardoin 3,218 3.40
Republican Greg Lirette 2,349 2.48
Republican Sheldon C. Vincent Sr. 754 0.80
Democratic Desiree Ontiveros 699 0.74
Independent Belden "Noonie Man" Batiste 598 0.63
Democratic Harold John 403 0.43
Libertarian Mindy McConnell 323 0.34
Democratic J. Christopher Johnson 288 0.30
Democratic Jenette M. Porter 244 0.26
Democratic Lloyd M. Kelly 122 0.13
No party preference Brandon Jolicoeur 94 0.10
Total votes 94,567 100.00
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Special Election RUNOFF (April 24, 2021)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Troy Carter 48,513 55.25
Democratic Karen Carter Peterson 39,297 44.75
Total votes 87,810 100.00
Democratic hold

2022

[edit]
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2022)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Troy Carter (incumbent) 158,120 77.1
Republican Dan Lux 46,927 22.9
Total votes 205,047 100.00
Democratic hold

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ He was elected along with Benjamin Franklin Flanders, assuming the seat left vacant after Miles Taylor's resigned his seat in February 1861. Flanders and Hahn were not seated in Congress until the last fifteen days of their terms on February 17, 1863.[6]

References

[edit]
Specific
  1. ^ Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov.
  2. ^ a b Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
  3. ^ a b "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "The Political Graveyard". politicalgraveyard.com.
  5. ^ Hutchinson, Piper (January 19, 2024). "Graves to lose U.S. House seat under Louisiana redistricting plan that adds minority seat". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  6. ^ John D. Winters, The Civil War in Louisiana, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, pp. 133-134
  7. ^ BlackPast (January 28, 2007). "(1869) John Willis Menard, "Speech Before the United States House of Representatives"". blackpast.org. Retrieved November 17, 2020. Nove
  8. ^ "Special Election - U.S. House of Representatives Second Congressional District" (PDF). State of Louisiana. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
General

30°02′48″N 90°34′07″W / 30.04667°N 90.56861°W / 30.04667; -90.56861