Louisiana State Sen. Troy Carter on Saturday defeated fellow Democrat and state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson (no relation) in a special election in the state's 2nd congressional district to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by former Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), who's now a senior adviser to President Biden. Carter had Richmond's backing, as well as the support of top leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, Politico notes.
Carter also sought Republican votes during his campaign because the Black-majority district is safely Democratic, leaving GOP voters without a candidate of their own in the runoff. Peterson, who The New York Times notes is "rooted" in the Democratic Party's establishment wing but embraced the support of progressives throughout the race, attempted to link Carter to former President Donald Trump because of his Republican outreach.
In the end, though, it was Carter's strategy that paid off. He picked up 56 percent of the vote overall and "routed" Petersen in the New Orleans suburbs, where he touted a key Republican endorsement, the Times reports. Peterson, on the other hand, was not able to meaningfully consolidate the votes that went to the first round's progressive candidate, Gary Chambers Jr.
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Carter's arrival in Congress will give House Democrats, who hold a slim majority, a little more breathing room. Read more at Politico and The New York Times.
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