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Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District Race: What To Know About Richmond, Batiste, James And More

Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District is a squiggly strip that runs from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, encompassing surrounding areas. It includes all of St. James Parish and portions of Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and West Baton Rouge parishes in southern Louisiana.

Democratic Congressman Cedric Richmond is running for reelection in this Democratic-leaning district. Richmond has been a rising star in the national party and serves as the co-chairman of former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential election campaign. He’s held the seat since 2011, and he won handily in 2018 with 80.6 percent of the vote.

He’s being challenged by five other candidates, two of whom have set up websites for their campaigns:

Belden “Noonie Man” Batiste, a member of the Batiste family of musicians, is running as an Independent giving voice to regular New Orleanian families

Colby James, also running as an Independent, is a veteran and former felon running as a voice for the unheard, including minority voices.

The other candidates are Democrat Glenn Harris, Republican David Schilling and Republican Sheldon Vincent.

To learn more about what's on your 2020 ballot, check out our ballot guide.

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