Tonight we have a handful of special primary elections in Louisiana. All four contests use Louisiana’s majority-voting system, known colloquially as “jungle primaries”. This means every candidate from every party will all be on one ballot. If one candidate wins a 50% +1 vote majority, they are declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, the top two candidates move onto an April 24th general election. Polls close at 8 pm central.
The first race is in Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, which stretches across ten parishes from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. The seat is open after Cedric Richmond was appointed as Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. There are fifteen candidates vying for this open seat: eight Democrats, four Republicans, one Libertarian, and two independent/no party preference.
The second of tonight’s Congressional contests is in Louisiana’s 5th district, which covers twenty-four parishes across northeastern Louisiana. The seat is open after congressman-elect Luke Letlow passed away due to complications with COVID-19. There are twelve candidates running for this open seat: nine Republicans, one Democrat, and two independent/no party preference.
At the state level, we have a race for the Louisiana State House of Representatives District 82, which represents Jefferson Parish, just west of New Orleans. The seat is open after Charles Henry resigned. Three candidates are running for this open seat: two Republican, and a Democrat.
Our final race is an open seat on the Louisiana Court of Appeals on the 2nd Circuit. It is vacant after Judge Felicia Toney Williams retired. There are 3 Democrats running for the open seat.