Five candidates are running in the nonpartisan primary for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District on Nov. 5, 2024. Quentin Anderson (D), Cleo Fields(D), and Elbert Guillory (R) lead in endorsements and media attention. Incumbent Rep. Garret Graves (R), who was first elected in 2014, is not running for re-election.
The election will take place under a new congressional map established after the 2022 elections. A May 2024 U.S. Supreme Court ruling blocked a lower court ruling striking down the new maps. According to Verite News’ Michelle Liu, the new congressional map “shifts the demographics of the 6th district from a whiter, Republican stronghold based in south Baton Rouge and its suburbs to a mostly Black district that spans from north Baton Rouge to Shreveport.”
The Associated Press’ Sara Cline wrote, “Democrats are looking to capitalize on the redrawn district—especially given that voting patterns in Louisiana point toward a mostly Black district more likely to send a Democrat to Congress—seeing an attainable opportunity to flip a reliably red seat blue. Republicans, who have held the seat for most of the last five decades, are fighting to preserve the GOP majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and the candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote wins the election outright. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
As of Sept. 23, 2024, four major election forecasters differed in their ratings for the general election, with two rating it Safe Democratic, one rating it Solid Democratic, and one rating it Likely Democratic.
Anderson is the executive chairman of The Justice Alliance, the director of communications for the Appleseed Network, Chief Communications Officer of The Black Business Bureau of Baton Rouge, and the founder and creative director of Anderson Creative Strategies, LLC. In 2020, Anderson ran unsuccessfully in the nonpartisan primary for East Baton Rouge Metro Council District 10.
Anderson’ priorities include public safety, infrastructure, and increasing the federal minimum wage. Anderson said that he believes “it is important that we have representatives that are independent. I mean, I’m a Democrat, but all that means is I have a north star about how I view government working. But at the end of the day, all of my positions are informed by my perspective, my experience of talking to people.”
Fields has represented District 14 in the Louisiana Senate since 2020. He previously represented the district in the state Senate from 1986 to 1992 and 1997 to 2007. Fields also represented the 4th Congressional District from 1993 to 1997. In 1995, Fields ran unsuccessfully for governor. Fields’ professional experience includes working as a lawyer for his own firm, The Fields Law Firm.
According to Fields’ campaign website, his priorities include increasing the federal minimum wage, education, and economic development. Fields said his past congressional experience would help him represent the district successfully: “We actually start with four years of seniority. I think that’s a good thing for Louisiana. And I want to finish what I started.”
Guillory represented District 24 in the state Senate from 2009 to 2016 and District 40 in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2015 and 2023 and for the 4th Congressional District in 2016. In addition to his work as a lawyer and a law professor, Guillory also worked at multiple state government agencies. He also served in the U.S. Navy.
According to Guillory’s campaign website, his priorities include public safety, border security, inflation, and education. Guillory said he is running to help preserve the Republican majority in the House, “We cannot risk losing this progress due to political gamesmanship from out of touch special interest groups. Those same special interests have continued to place our values in the crosshairs while championing some elitists’ extreme agendas.”
Wilken Jones Jr. (D) and Peter Williams (D) are also running in the primary.
Based on Q2 2024 reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Anderson raised $17,148 and spent $15,087, Fields raised $689,253 and spent $46,007, and Elbert Guillory raised and spent nothing. To review campaign finance figures in full detail, click here.