Cedric Richmond-backed Troy Carter will fill Louisiana's vacant House seat after special election win


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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
The best shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2025
The Week Recommends The world's biggest arts festival is back with an incredible line-up
-
Wonsan-Kalma: North Korea's new 'mammoth' beach resort
Under the Radar Pyongyang wants to boost tourism but there won't be many foreign visitors to Kim Jong Un's 'pet project'
-
The 5 best TV reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Finding an entirely new cast to play beloved characters is harder than it looks
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
Trump says Iran and Israel agreed to ceasefire
Speed Read This followed a night of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and multiple waves of missiles fired by Iran
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there