A showdown between Democratic power players in New Orleans for an open House seat is set to move to its final round, with state Sen. Troy Carter securing a runoff spot and state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson likely to finish in second place, making them the top two vote-getters in a crowded special election on Saturday.
The special election was spurred by former Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond resigning from representing Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional district, with encompasses the city of New Orleans, in January in order to join the Biden administration as a senior adviser and director of the Office of Public Engagement for the White House.
Fifteen candidates jumped into the “jungle primary” for the seat, prompting a runoff election if no candidate wins 50% of the vote. But Carter and Peterson quickly emerged as the top power players in the race.
Carter had about 36% of the vote, far short of 50% needed to win Saturday’s election Peterson’s support was at about 24%, putting her comfortably ahead of third-place finisher Gary Chambers, a community activist.
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Carter and Peterson, while not ideologically distant, come from starkly different political alliances within the Democratic spheres of Louisiana’s only Democratic-leaning district. Both of them have sought the 2nd district seat before, and in 2006, ran against each other it.
Carter earned the endorsement of the former Rep. Richmond and other Washington power players, including House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, along with Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is chair of the House Democratic Caucus; Joyce Beatty of Ohio, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; and Ro Khanna of California, a proponent of progressive policies.
Peterson, meanwhile has earned the support of another wing of Democratic activists hoping to give black women a voice in Louisiana’s Congressional delegation. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and former Democratic National Committee interim chair Donna Brazille. And as a lifelong Democratic party activist and politician, including having served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, she also got endorsements from power brokers like former Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez and former presidential candidate and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.
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The runoff election is on April 24.
