Louisiana's 2nd congressional district

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district
Louisiana's 2nd congressional district - since January 3, 2013.
Current Representative Cedric Richmond (DNew Orleans)
Cook PVI D+22[1]

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The 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 Cedric Richmond.

History

Louisiana gained the 2nd Congressional District in 1823 as part of the 18th United States Congress. At first it comprised New Orleans and significant populations from surrounding areas, but it has incrementally been compacted into being mostly within the city of New Orleans per se. Since the late 19th century, it has been historically among the most safely Democratic seats in the country, for sharply opposing reasons. It remained in Democratic hands from 1891 through much of the 1960s because in 1898 the Democratic-dominated state legislature disenfranchised most blacks through provisions of a new state constitution and maintained their political exclusion for decades. Like most congressional seats in the South, this district consistently voted Democratic from the time of Reconstruction until the 1960s, but the voters during that time were nearly all white Democrats. New Orleans had a significant proportion of African Americans in its population who were utterly excluded from the political system.

Since passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the federal government oversaw voter registration and elections in areas in which portions of the population were underrepresented. Since that time, African Americans in the South have re-entered the political process. Most have affiliated with the Democratic Party, as its national leaders supported the civil rights movement. The 2nd was configured as a "Majority-Minority" district to ensure minority voters have a chance to elect representatives of their own choice to Congress, and to guard against adverse racially motivated gerrymandering. It has been drawn as a black-majority district since 1983. It is the only black-majority district containing any territory west of the Mississippi River.

In 2008 Joseph Cao was elected as the first Republican to represent the 2nd Congressional District and most of New Orleans in over a century; he is the United States' first Vietnamese-American U.S. Representative. He was the only Republican in the 111th Congress to represent a district with a predominantly African-American population.

For most of the time from 1983 to 2013, the district contained nearly all of the city of New Orleans (except for a small portion is located in the neighboring 1st Congressional District), and some of its suburbs. From 2003 to 2013, it also included the West Bank portion of Jefferson Parish and South South Kenner, which have a higher proportion of white residents.[2] After the 2010 census, it was pushed slightly to the west, picking up a portion of Baton Rouge.

List of representatives

Representative Party Term Electoral history
District created March 4, 1823
Henry Hosford Gurley Adams-Clay
Democratic-
Republican
March 4, 1823 –
March 4, 1825
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Adams March 4, 1825 –
March 4, 1829
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Anti-
Jacksonian
March 4, 1829 –
March 4, 1831
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Philemon Thomas Jacksonian March 4, 1831 –
March 4, 1835
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Eleazer Wheelock Ripley Jacksonian March 4, 1835 –
March 4, 1837
Democratic March 4, 1837 –
March 4, 1839
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Thomas Withers Chinn Whig March 4, 1839 –
March 4, 1841
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
John Bennett Dawson Democratic March 4, 1841 –
March 4, 1843
Redistricted to the 3rd district
Alcée Louis la Branche Democratic March 4, 1843 –
March 4, 1845
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Bannon Goforth Thibodeaux Democratic March 4, 1845 –
March 4, 1849
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Charles Magill Conrad Whig March 4, 1849 –
August 17, 1850
Resigned to become United States Secretary of War
Vacant August 17, 1850 –
December 5, 1850
Henry Adams Bullard Whig December 5, 1850 –
March 4, 1851
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Joseph Aristide Landry Whig March 4, 1851 –
March 4, 1853
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Theodore Gaillard Hunt Whig March 4, 1853 –
March 4, 1855
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Miles Taylor Democratic March 4, 1855 –
February 5, 1861
Withdrew due to onset of Civil War
Vacant February 5, 1861 –
December 3, 1862
Michael Hahn Unionist December 3, 1862 –
March 4, 1863
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Louisiana's secession during the Civil War March 4, 1863–
July 18, 1868
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
James Mann Democratic July 18, 1868 –
August 26, 1868
Died after serving 5 weeks
Vacant August 26, 1868 –
March 4, 1869
House left seat vacant due to election dispute
Lionel Allen Sheldon Republican March 4, 1869 –
March 4, 1875
Lost re-election
Ezekiel John Ellis Democratic March 4, 1875 –
March 4, 1885
Retired from Congress, returned to law practice
Michael Hahn Republican March 3, 1885 –
March 15, 1886
Died
Vacant March 15, 1886 –
December 9, 1886
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Nathaniel Dick Wallace Democratic December 9, 1886 –
March 4, 1887
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Matthew Diamond Lagan Democratic March 4, 1887 –
March 4, 1889
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Hamilton D. Coleman Republican March 4, 1889 –
March 4, 1891
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Matthew Diamond Lagan Democratic March 4, 1891 –
March 4, 1893
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Robert Charles Davey Democratic March 4, 1893 –
March 4, 1895
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Charles Francis Buck Democratic March 4, 1895 –
March 4, 1897
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Robert Charles Davey Democratic March 4, 1897 –
December 26, 1908
Died
Vacant December 26, 1908 –
March 30, 1909
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Samuel Louis Gilmore Democratic March 30, 1909 –
July 18, 1910
Died
Vacant July 18, 1910 –
November 8, 1910
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
H. Garland Dupré Democratic November 8, 1910 –
February 21, 1924
Died
Vacant February 21, 1924 –
April 22, 1924
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
James Z. Spearing Democratic April 22, 1924 –
March 4, 1931
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Paul H. Maloney Democratic March 4, 1931 –
December 15, 1940
Resigned
Vacant December 15, 1940 –
January 3, 1941
[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Hale Boggs Democratic January 3, 1941 –
January 3, 1943
Lost re-nomination
Paul H. Maloney Democratic January 3, 1943 –
January 3, 1947
Retired from Congress
Hale Boggs Democratic January 3, 1947 –
January 3, 1973
Presumed dead after private plane went missing over Alaska October 16, 1972. Seat declared vacant at beginning of the 93rd Congress.
Vacant January 3, 1973 –
March 20, 1973
Lindy Boggs Democratic March 20, 1973 –
January 3, 1991
First elected to finish her husband's term
Retired
William J. Jefferson Democratic January 3, 1991 –
January 3, 2009
Lost re-election
Joseph Cao Republican January 3, 2009 –
January 3, 2011
Elected in 2008
Lost re-election
Cedric Richmond Democratic January 3, 2011 –
Present
First elected in 2010

Recent Election Results

2002

Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2002)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William J. Jefferson* 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
Voter turnout %
Democratic hold

2004

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

2006

Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District General Election (2006)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William J. Jefferson* 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
Voter turnout %
Democratic hold
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District General Election RUNOFF (December 9, 2006)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William J. Jefferson* 35,153 56.55
Democratic Karen Carter Peterson 27,011 43.45
Total votes 62,164 100.00
Voter turnout %
Democratic hold

2008

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

2010

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

2012

Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2012)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cedric Richmond* 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
Voter turnout %
Democratic hold

Historical district boundaries

2003 - 2013

See also

References

  1. "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  2. Political Graveyard

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

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