The field is set for this year’s primary races in Louisiana after the three-day qualifying period closed late Friday afternoon.
Along with the presidential election, races for Louisiana’s six seats in the U.S. House, a single seat on the state’s Public Service Commission, and a single seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court will also be on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The final day of qualifying drew two new contenders for the closely-watched 6th Congressional District, which will see state Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, vie for a seat now held by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge. Graves opted not to run for reelection after state lawmakers reconfigured his district to include a majority-Black population.
Those challengers are Wilken Jones Jr., of Opelousas; and Peter Williams, of Lettsworth, both Democrats. Fields is widely seen as the front-runner for that seat. Quentin Anthony Anderson, a Democrat from Baton Rouge, and former state Sen. Elbert Guillory, a Republican from Opelousas, are also in that race.
Two others also signed up Friday to challenge U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Start, who qualified a day earlier. They are Vinny Mendoza, a Republican from Pontchatoula, and Michael Vaillen Jr., a Democrat from Baton Rouge. Letlow, like other congressional incumbents, has an advantage in the race.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, also received three new challengers Wednesday: Frankie Hyers, who has no party affiliation and is from Metairie; Ross Shales, a Republican from New Orleans; and Marguerite Swanson, a Slidell Republican. They join Randall Arrington, a Republican from Pontchatoula, and Mel Manuel, a Democrat from Madisonville, to round out that race.
U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, will face off against Devin Davis, a fellow Democrat, and Christy Lynch, a Republican, both of whom qualified Thursday. Republicans Shondrell Perrilloux and Devin Lance Graham signed up Wednesday.
In a statement after he qualified this week through a proxy, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, expressed gratitude for Louisianans’ support when he became speaker last fall. “Louisiana's unique culture, heritage and values are part of who we are, and that has prepared us to help lead our country forward in these historic times,” he said.
Johnson's lone challenger is Joshua Morrott, a Republican who lists a Benton, Arkansas, address on his qualifying forms.
The field for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, was set Thursday, as one other Republican, Xan John, and two Democrats, Priscilla Gonzalez and Sadi Summerlin, joined the race. John and Gonzalez are from Lafayette while Summerlin is from Westlake.
Meanwhile, the race for the District 2 seat on the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities in the state, brought some surprises.
Just two days after Baton Rouge orthopedic surgeon and current Public Service Commissioner Craig Greene announced he would not seek another term, Scott McKnight, a state legislator from 2020 until January this year, announced his candidacy. But McKnight announced Friday he would no longer seek the post.
“I will continue to devote my time, energy, and focus to ensuring Ted James is elected Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish,” McKnight said in a statement. He is helping fundraise for James’ campaign.
Republican state Sen. Jean-Paul Coussan, of Lafayette, did qualify Thursday. Coussan is an attorney at a real estate law firm and co-founded a real estate investment company, according to his website.
Julie Quinn-Summerville, a Republican, will also run. The former Jefferson Parish School Board member and former state senator is an attorney from Metairie.
One Democrat also entered the race on Thursday: Nick Laborde, of Baton Rouge, who said he is a human resources consultant and is involved in his family’s crawfish bread company.
Finally, three Black Democrats will compete for a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court. They are running in a newly drawn majority Black district centered around Baton Rouge.
John Michael Guidry has served on the First Circuit Court of Appeal for over 26 years. Marcus Hunter, a former state district court judge, was elected to the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in 2021.
Leslie Ricard Chambers is chief of staff for the Louisiana Housing Corporation and before that was assistant chief administrative officer for East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. Chambers was previously a top adviser to former Gov. John Bel Edwards and an assistant district attorney in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Editor's Note, 7/29/24: An earlier version of this story misstated Peter Williams' residence. He lives in Lettsworth, not New Orleans.