Louisiana's 2nd congressional district
Louisiana's 2nd congressional district | |||
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![]() Louisiana's 2nd congressional district since January 3, 2013 | |||
Representative |
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Distribution |
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Population (2019) | 788,021[2] | ||
Median household income | $44,124[2] | ||
Ethnicity |
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Cook PVI | D+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[]
![]() | This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
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.
Recent presidential elections[]
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[]
Member | Party | Term | Cong ress |
Electoral history | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
District created March 4, 1823 | |||||
Henry Hosford Gurley | 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 |
Jacksonian | March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1835 |
22nd 23rd |
Elected in 1830. Re-elected in 1832. Retired. | |
1833–1843 [data unknown/missing] | |||||
![]() Eleazer Wheelock Ripley |
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 | ||||
Thomas Withers Chinn | Whig | March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841 |
26th | Elected in 1838. Retired. | |
![]() John Bennett Dawson |
Democratic | March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 |
27th | Elected in 1840. Redistricted to the 3rd district. | |
Alcée Louis la Branche | Democratic | March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845 |
28th | Elected in 1842. Retired. |
1843–1853 [data unknown/missing] |
Bannon Goforth Thibodeaux | Democratic | March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849 |
29th 30th |
Elected in 1844. Re-elected in 1846. Retired. | |
![]() Charles Magill Conrad |
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 |
Whig | December 5, 1850 – March 3, 1851 |
Elected to finish Conrad's term. Retired. | ||
Joseph Aristide Landry | Whig | March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853 |
32nd | Elected in 1850. Retired. | |
Theodore Gaillard Hunt | Whig | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 |
33rd | Elected in 1852. Lost re-election as a Know Nothing candidate. |
1853–1863 [data unknown/missing] |
![]() Miles Taylor |
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 – December 3, 1862 |
36th 37th |
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![]() Michael Hahn |
Unionist | December 3, 1862 – March 3, 1863 |
37th | Elected in 1860.[a] Retired. | |
Vacant | March 4, 1863– July 18, 1868 |
38th 39th 40th |
U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction era | ||
James Mann | Democratic | July 18, 1868 – August 26, 1868 |
40th | Elected to finish the vacant term. Died. |
1868–1873 [data unknown/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.[5] | |||
![]() Lionel Allen Sheldon |
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 unknown/missing] | |||||
![]() Ezekiel John Ellis |
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 unknown/missing] | |||||
![]() Michael Hahn |
Republican | March 3, 1885 – March 15, 1886 |
49th | Elected in 1884. Died. | |
Vacant | March 15, 1886 – December 9, 1886 |
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Nathaniel Dick Wallace | Democratic | December 9, 1886 – March 3, 1887 |
Elected to finish Hahn's term. Retired. | ||
![]() Matthew Diamond Lagan |
Democratic | March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889 |
50th | Elected in 1886. Retired. | |
![]() Hamilton D. Coleman |
Republican | March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891 |
51st | Elected in 1888. Lost re-election. | |
![]() Matthew Diamond Lagan |
Democratic | March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893 |
52nd | Elected in 1890. Retired. | |
![]() Robert Charles Davey |
Democratic | March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895 |
53rd | Elected in 1892. Retired. |
1893–1903 [data unknown/missing] |
![]() Charles Francis Buck |
Democratic | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 |
54th | Elected in 1894. Retired to run for Mayor of New Orleans. | |
![]() Robert Charles Davey |
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 unknown/missing] | |||||
Vacant | December 26, 1908 – March 30, 1909 |
60th 61st |
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Samuel Louis Gilmore | Democratic | March 30, 1909 – July 18, 1910 |
61st | Elected to finish Davey's term. Died. | |
Vacant | July 18, 1910 – November 8, 1910 |
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![]() H. Garland Dupré |
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 unknown/missing] | |||||
1923–1933 [data unknown/missing] | |||||
Vacant | February 21, 1924 – April 22, 1924 |
68th | |||
James Z. Spearing | 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 |
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 unknown/missing] | |||||
Vacant | December 15, 1940 – January 3, 1941 |
76th | |||
![]() Hale Boggs |
Democratic | January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943 |
77th | Elected in 1940. Lost renomination. | |
![]() Paul H. Maloney |
Democratic | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1947 |
78th 79th |
Elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Retired. |
1943–1953 [data unknown/missing] |
![]() Hale Boggs |
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 unknown/missing] | |||||
1963–1973 [data unknown/missing] | |||||
Vacant | January 3, 1973 – March 20, 1973 |
93rd | 1973–1983 [data unknown/missing] | ||
![]() Lindy Boggs |
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 unknown/missing] | |||||
![]() William J. Jefferson |
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 unknown/missing] | |||||
2003–2013![]() | |||||
![]() Joseph Cao |
Republican | January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 |
111th | Elected in 2008. Lost re-election. | |
![]() Cedric Richmond |
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.[6] | |
2013–present![]() | |||||
Vacant | January 15, 2021 – May 11, 2021 |
117th | |||
![]() Troy Carter |
Democratic | May 11, 2021 – Present |
Elected to finish Richmond's term. |
Recent election results[]
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[]
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[]
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 Bartholomew | 1,125 | 1.20 | |
Total votes | 91,545 | 100.00 | ||
Turnout |
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[]
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[]
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[]
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[]
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[]
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[]
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[]
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)[]
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 |
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 |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ He was elected along with Benjamin Franklin Flanders, assuming the seat left vacant after J. E. Bouligny's term expired in 1861. Flanders and Hahn were not seated in Congress until the last fifteen days of their terms in February 1863.
- ^ Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov.
- ^ a b Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
- ^ a b "Introducing the 2021 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index". The Cook Political Report. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ "The Political Graveyard". politicalgraveyard.com.
- ^ BlackPast. "(1869) John Willis Menard, "Speech Before the United States House of Representatives"". blackpast.org. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
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- ^ "Special Election - U.S. House of Representatives Second Congressional District" (PDF). State of Louisiana. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
Coordinates: 30°02′48″N 90°34′07″W / 30.04667°N 90.56861°W
- Congressional districts of Louisiana
- Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
- Orleans Parish, Louisiana