Two years after his election, U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields this year for a simple reason.
Republican state legislators in May, and Fields, one of the state’s best-known Democrats, didn’t think he could win a congressional district that remains anchored in Baton Rouge but now strongly favors a Republican.
That has not stopped three Democrats from They are Chauna Banks, who served 12 years on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council; Pat Forbes, who spent 20 years in high-level state government positions for three governors; and Lindsay Garcia, a former social studies teacher in New Orleans who obtained a law degree from Southern University last year.
The three are facing an uphill battle in an open primary that includes state Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge; state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-Erath; and Larry Davis III, an elected member of the Livingston Parish Republican Parish Executive Committee.
The election will be an open primary on Nov. 3 where the top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to a runoff in December. The runoff is likely to pit the top Republican and Democrat vote-getters in the primary.
The six House elections were supposed to take place in May and June, but Gov. Jeff Landry canceled them after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that invalidated the existing congressional map. Freed from having to consider race in their deliberations, Landry and legislators then redistricted the boundaries in a way that cost Fields his Black-majority district.
Nearly half of the newly designed 6th District voters live in East Baton Rouge Parish, while nearly 20% live in Livingston Parish, 15% are in Ascension Parish, and the rest live in Assumption, Iberville, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Charles, St. John, St. Martin and West Baton Rouge parishes.
The 6th district now has more Republicans (41%) than Democrats (30%), and Donald Trump carried it with 65% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election, according to John Couvillon, a Baton Rouge-based political analyst.
An early survey by New Orleans pollster Greg Rigamer, taken on Aug. 12-13, showed that nearly half the voters hadn’t yet chosen a candidate.
‘The race is open’
Banks led with 18.8%, followed by Edmonds with 15.6%, Miguez 8.6%, Forbes 8.4%, Davis 6% and others 1%. A whopping 40.4% of voters were undecided.
“The race is open,” said Rigamer.
He did not include Garcia in the poll of 500 registered voters, which had a margin of error of 4.4%. Super lobbyist Alton Ashy paid for the survey along with another individual whom Rigamer would not identify.
The latest campaign finance reports cover donations through July 17, which was three weeks before candidates had to formally qualify for the race.
Forbes and Banks hadn’t raised anything, while Garcia had collected $65,000 and had $36,000 on hand.
Miguez had easily raised the most money, $6 million, with a personal loan of $3 million accounting for half of that money. He had $2 million in hand.
Edmonds had raised $530,000 (including a $155,000 personal loan) and had $320,000 on hand.
Davis had raised $21,000 and had $1,000 on hand.
What the candidates say
Banks, 64, said she believes she can win the race because she has a deep set of contacts through the district. She said the main issues are making housing and health care more affordable.
Forbes, 65, said he believes he can win because he has a long history of working with Republicans and Democrats, while in state government, to improve the lives of h citizens.
“The 6th district and h need someone who will represent them, not the president and not a party,” he said.
Garcia, 40, said she spent 10 years working as a social studies teacher in New Orleans before pivoting to obtain a law degree from Southern University last year.
“We need to get back to the system of checks and balances and reaffirming rule of law,” Garcia said, adding, “Congress needs to rein in Trump on Iran.”
Edmonds, 69, a Christian minister, is in his 11th year in the Legislature.
He sponsored the legislation to create LA Gator, which allows parents to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private schools.
“We need someone elected to this seat who knows this district, serves this district and lives in this district,” said Edmonds, making a pointed reference to Miguez, who owns a house in Baton Rouge but lives miles outside of the district.
Davis, 29, said he is running “because we have elected the same individuals who have said they would carry out positive change to people’s lives, but that has not been done, not due to an unwillingness or capability but a lack of actual beliefs in what they are saying.”
He said his biggest issue is working for the complete ban on abortion.
Miguez did not return phone calls.
Other candidates in the race include Monique Appeaning, a Republican from St. George; Michael Mebruer, a Republican from St. Francisville; Stephen Wagley, a Republican from Baton Rouge; and Rufus Craig, a Libertarian from Baton Rouge.