Louisiana Democrats Push Cleo Fields In 6th District Contest

Fields last served in Congress in the 1990s, back when Louisiana had two Black congressional districts and now that the state has two majority Black districts once more, his prospects are pointing up.

Louisiana Democrats are coalescing behind former Congressman and current Sen. Cleo Fields as he endeavors to return to Congress buoyed by the 6th Congressional District’s status as a majority Black district.

According to the Louisiana Illuminator, the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee voted on July 27 to formally support the 61-year-old Sen. Fields alongside Rep. Troy Carter, Mel Manuel, Sadi Summerlin, and Nick Laborde.

As Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Randal Gaines told the Illuminator, “I think that with the talent and the combination of excitement…I think we’re gonna be able to prepare all our candidates for victory in November.”

Fields last served in Congress in the 1990s, back when Louisiana had two Black congressional districts, and now that the state again has two majority Black districts, his prospects are pointing up.

Indeed, it’s not just Louisiana’s Democrats that are backing Fields. According to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, the Congressional Black Caucus is also throwing its support behind the candidate.

On July 23, the CBC held a fundraiser for Fields’ campaign, hosted by Marcus Sebastian Mason, who is also on the board of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Vanessa Griddine, the executive director of the Black Caucus Institute, Chaka Burgess, the vice chair of the Caucus Foundation board, Virgil Miller, who is an advisor for the Caucus Foundation, and former Black Caucus Chair and rumored vice presidential candidate Cedric Richmond.

Fields is seen as the likely winner as his campaign is better organized, has more name recognition, and has more money in his coffers than his Black Republican contender, Elbert “Paw Paw” Guillory, or his Democratic challengers Quentin Anthony Anderson, Wilken Jones Jr, and Peter Williams.

According to the Illuminator, Fields and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry made for strange bedfellows when Louisiana was forced to eliminate a Republican district to draw a new Democratic-leaning district, but due to the disagreements between Landry and Garrett Greaves, the current congressman representing the 6th District, that is the district that was selected. That district encompasses Baton Rouge, Shreveport, parts of Alexandria, and Lafayette.

According to Fields’ campaign announcement in January, he has positioned himself as a fighter for the people of Louisiana throughout his political career.

“Throughout my career in state and congressional service, my focus has always been on leading the efforts to help the people of Louisiana from my Baton Rouge Senate district to people all the way to Shreveport in my congressional district.”

Fields continued, “I will offer myself for service in the Sixth Congressional District in this fall’s election. I will formally announce my candidacy in the next several weeks, but I want to be clear I will be a candidate. My focus will remain the same as it has always been to work and fight for the people of Louisiana.”