Louisiana's 2nd congressional district

History

Louisiana gained a second district in 1823 as part of the 18th United States Congress. At first it comprised New Orleans and significant populations from surrounding areas. With the growth of population in the urban area, the current district is located mostly within the city of New Orleans.

Since the late 19th century, this has been historically among the most safely Democratic seats in the country, for sharply opposing reasons. During Reconstruction, most African Americans affiliated with the Republican Party and, as a majority, elected Republicans from this district.

White Democrats regained control of the district in 1891, when voter suppression of Republicans was rampant. In 1898 the Democratic-dominated state legislature had disenfranchised most blacks in the state through provisions of a new state constitution that raised barriers to voter registration, such as poll taxes and subjective literacy tests. The Democrats had maintained the political exclusion of blacks for decades. Like most congressional districts in the South, this district consistently voted Democratic from the late 19th century until the late 1960s, because the voters during that time were nearly all white Democrats. Such Democrats created what was known as the Solid South in Congress, exercising power beyond their proportion of the electorate.

From the 1960s onward, however, white conservatives began splitting their tickets and voting Republican, gradually switching outright to the GOP. At the same time, black voters regained the franchise and lent their support to Democrats. Since 1984, the district has been drawn as a black-majority district.

In 2008, after a federal grand jury indicted nine-term incumbent congressman William J. Jefferson on sixteen felony charges related to corruption the year prior, Joseph Cao was elected as the first Republican to represent the 2nd congressional district and most of New Orleans in more than a century. Cao was the first Vietnamese-American U.S. representative elected in the country. He was the only Republican in the 111th Congress to represent a district with a predominantly African-American population. Cao was heavily defeated in 2010 by state representative Cedric Richmond, and the district reverted to its Democratic ways. Richmond defeated nominal Republican challengers in 2012 and 2020, and no Republican even filed from 2014 to 2018.

For most of the period from 1983 to 2013, this district contained nearly all of the city of New Orleans (except for a small portion located in the neighboring ), and some of its suburbs. In 2003, it was pushed into the West Bank portion of Jefferson Parish and South Kenner, which have a higher proportion of white residents. After the 2010 census, the legislature pushed the 2nd slightly to the west, picking up a portion of Baton Rouge–essentially, most of the capital's majority-black precincts.

The 2024 Allen v. Milligan decision dictated a new majority-black precinct, redrawing the 6th district. The 2nd district loses the Baton Rouge area and the northeast Orleans Parish but now represents the whole of the Iberville and Assumption Parishes, as well as Arabi and Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish.

Parishes and communities

For the 119th and successive Congresses (based on the districts drawn following a 2023 court order), the district contains all or portions of the following parishes and communities.

Ascension Parish (5)

: Darrow, Donaldsonville, Gonzales, Lemannville (shared with St. James Parish), Prairieville (part; also 5th) Assumption Parish (8) : All eight communities Iberville Parish (9) : All nine communities

Jefferson Parish (14)

: Avondale, Bridge City, Estelle (part; also 1st), Gretna, Harvey, Kenner (part; also 1st), Marrero, Metairie (part; also 1st), River Ridge (part; also 1st), Terrytown, Timberlane, Waggaman, Westwego, Woodmere

Lafourche Parish (1)

: Thibodaux (part; also 3rd) Orleans Parish (1) : New Orleans (part; also 1st)

St. Bernard Parish (3)

: Arabi, Chalmette (part; also 1st), Meraux (part; also 1st)

St. Charles Parish (10)

: Ama, Boutte, Bayou Gauche, Des Allemands (part; also 3rd; shared with Lafourche Parish), Hahnville, Killona, Luling, Paradis, St. Rose (part; also 1st), Taft

St. James Parish (14)

: All 14 communities

St. John the Baptist Parish (6)

: All six communities

Recent election results from statewide races

List of members representing the district

Recent election results

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2021 (special)

2022

2024

Notes

References

;Specific

;General

• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

References

1. Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)".
2. Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District".
3. (2025-04-03). "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)".
4. (2025-04-03). "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)".
5. "The Political Graveyard".
6. Hutchinson, Piper. "Graves to lose U.S. House seat under Louisiana redistricting plan that adds minority seat". [[Louisiana Illuminator]].
7. [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd119/cd_based/ST22/CD119_LA01.pdf https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd119/cd_based/ST22/CD119_LA02.pdf]
8. Muller, Wesley. (2023-10-21). "Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana redistricting case creates uncertainty • Louisiana Illuminator".
9. "Dra 2020".
10. [[John D. Winters]], ''The Civil War in Louisiana'', Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, {{ISBN. 0-8071-0834-0, pp. 133-134
11. BlackPast. (January 28, 2007). "(1869) John Willis Menard, "Speech Before the United States House of Representatives"". blackpast.org.
12. (January 6, 2021). "Special Election - U.S. House of Representatives Second Congressional District". State of Louisiana.