Louisiana's 2nd congressional district

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district
Current Representative		Cedric Richmond (D–New Orleans)
Distribution	99.38% urban, 0.62% rural
Population (2000)	638,562
Median income	$25,514
Ethnicity	30.2% White, 64.1% Black, 2.7% Asian, 3.8% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% other
Cook PVI	D+25

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 (a small portion is located in the neighboring 1st Congressional District), and some of its suburbs, including the West Bank portion of Jefferson Parish and South South Kenner.

The district is currently represented by Democrat Cedric Richmond who defeated Republican incumbent Joseph Cao in 2010.

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. It has also historically been among the most safely Democratic seats in the country, as the Republicans had not held this seat since 1891, until Republican nominee Joseph Cao upset Democratic incumbent Bill Jefferson in 2008 for the term beginning in January 2009. Like most congressional seats in the South, this district consistently voted Democratic from the time of Reconstruction until the 1960s. Since then, its position as a virtually consistent Democratic seat is mostly due to its being one of the "Majority-Minority" districts created as a result of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to ensure minority voters have a likely opportunity to elect representatives in Congress and to guard against adverse racially-motivated gerrymandering.

The district's previous incumbent, Joseph Cao, became not only the first Republican to represent the 2nd Congressional District and most of New Orleans in over a century, but also America's first Vietnamese-American U.S. Representative. He was the only Republican in the 111th Congress representing a predominantly African American district.

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Term	District home	Notes
District created		March 4, 1823
Henry Hosford Gurley	Adams-Clay D-R	March 4, 1823 - March 4, 1825	Baton Rouge
	Adams	March 4, 1825 - March 4, 1829
	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 - March 4, 1831
Philemon Thomas	Jacksonian	March 4, 1831 - March 4, 1835	Baton Rouge
Eleazer Wheelock Ripley	Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 - March 4, 1837	Saint Francisville
	Democratic	March 4, 1837 - March 4, 1839
Thomas Withers Chinn	Whig	March 4, 1839 - March 4, 1841	Port Allen
John Bennett Dawson	Democratic	March 4, 1841 - March 4, 1843	Saint Francisville	Redistricted to the 3rd district
Alcée Louis la Branche	Democratic	March 4, 1843 - March 4, 1845	La Nouvelle Orléans
Bannon Goforth Thibodeaux	Democratic	March 4, 1845 - March 4, 1849	Thibodaux
Charles Magill Conrad	Whig	March 4, 1849 - August 17, 1850	La Nouvelle Orléans	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	La Nouvelle Orléans
Joseph Aristide Landry	Whig	March 4, 1851 - March 4, 1853	Donaldsonville
Theodore Gaillard Hunt	Whig	March 4, 1853 - March 4, 1855	La Nouvelle Orléans
Miles Taylor	Democratic	March 4, 1855 - February 5, 1861	Belle Alliance	Withdrew due to onset of Civil War
Vacant		February 5, 1861 - December 3, 1862
Michael Hahn	Unionist	December 3, 1862 - March 4, 1863	Saint Charles Parish, Hahnville
Louisiana's secession from United States - Civil War		1862–1868
James Mann	Democratic	July 18, 1868 - August 26, 1868	New Orleans	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	New Orleans	Lost re-election
Ezekiel John Ellis	Democratic	March 4, 1875 - March 4, 1885	Covington, Amite	Retired from Congress, returned to law practice
Michael Hahn	Republican	March 3, 1885 - March 15, 1886	Saint Charles Parish, Hahnville	Died
Vacant		March 15, 1886 - December 9, 1886
Nathaniel Dick Wallace	Democratic	December 9, 1886 - March 4, 1887	New Orleans
Matthew Diamond Lagan	Democratic	March 4, 1887 - March 4, 1889	New Orleans
Hamilton D. Coleman	Republican	March 4, 1889 - March 4, 1891	New Orleans
Matthew Diamond Lagan	Democratic	March 4, 1891 - March 4, 1893	New Orleans
Robert Charles Davey	Democratic	March 4, 1893 - March 4, 1895	New Orleans
Charles Francis Buck	Democratic	March 4, 1895 - March 4, 1897	New Orleans, Amite
Robert Charles Davey	Democratic	March 4, 1897 - December 26, 1908	New Orleans	Died
Vacant		December 26, 1908 - March 30, 1909
Samuel Louis Gilmore	Democratic	March 30, 1909- July 18, 1910	Abita Springs	Died
Vacant		July 18, 1910 - November 8, 1910
Henry Garland Dupré	Democratic	November 8, 1910 - February 21, 1924	Opelousas	Died
Vacant		February 21, 1924 - April 22, 1924
James Zacharie Spearing	Democratic	April 22, 1924 - March 4, 1931	New Orleans
Paul H. Maloney	Democratic	March 4, 1931 - December 15, 1940	New Orleans	Resigned
Vacant		December 15, 1940 - January 3, 1941
Hale Boggs	Democratic	January 3, 1941 - January 3, 1943	New Orleans	Lost re-nomination
Paul H. Maloney	Democratic	January 3, 1943 - January 3, 1947	New Orleans	Retired from Congress
Hale Boggs	Democratic	January 3, 1947 - January 3, 1973	New Orleans	Presumed dead after private plane went missing over Alaska Oct. 16, 1972. Seat declared vacant at beginning of the 93rd Congress.
Vacant		January 3, 1973 – March 20, 1973
Corinne C. "Lindy" Boggs	Democratic	March 20, 1973 – January 3, 1991	New Orleans	Retired
William J. Jefferson	Democratic	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2009	New Orleans	Lost re-election
Joseph Cao	Republican	January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011	New Orleans	Lost re-election
Cedric Richmond	Democratic	January 3, 2011 – Present		Incumbent

Recent Election Results

2002

Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2002)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	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%
Totals			142,156	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Democratic hold

2004

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

2006

Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District General Election (2006)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	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%
Totals			91,545	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Democratic hold

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

2008

Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (December 6, 2008)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	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%
Totals			66,882	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Republican gain from Democratic

2010

Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Election (2010)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	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%
Totals			129,604	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Democratic gain from Republican

References

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present