BATON ROUGE — Cleo Fields, a veteran Democrat and longtime state senator, beat out a crowded field to be elected to Congress.
According to complete but unofficial election returns, Fields secured 51% of the vote, which allows him to avoid a December runoff. His win adds another seat for Democrats in their efforts to shift the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Fields was one of five candidates—four Democrats and one Republican—running in the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District. He was endorsed by Louisiana’s Democratic Party.
The 6th Congressional District (shown in pink on the map below) extends from Caddo Parish to the Baton Rouge area. Fields will now represent the western portions of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, and Pointe Coupee parishes.
Republican Garret Graves chose not to seek re-election after his district was redrawn following a federal court ruling that mandated the state create a second majority-Black congressional seat. The court cited 2020 census data, stating that the previous boundaries constituted an unlawful racial gerrymander.
Graves had represented Louisiana’s 6th District, which previously included most of Baton Rouge’s suburbs, Livingston Parish, and parts of Lafourche Parish, since 2015. Many believe Graves’ district was politically targeted after he failed to endorse Jeff Landry during the gubernatorial election in 2023 and did not fully support fellow Congressman Steve Scalise’s unsuccessful bid for House speaker.
At 61, Fields entered the race with significant name recognition and financial backing. He is a state senator and previously served in Congress from 1993 to 1997. In 1995, he unsuccessfully ran for governor, losing to Mike Foster by more than 400,000 votes.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it would hear arguments in a lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s congressional redistricting plan. That Supreme Court hearing could have implications on the future of the 6th Congressional District.
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