Troy Anthony Carter (born October 26, 1963) is an American politician serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district Louisiana's 2nd congressional district contains nearly all of the city of New Orleans and stretches west and north to Baton Rouge. The district is currently represented by Democrat Troy Carter. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+25, ...

since 2021. He was previously a member of the Louisiana State Senate for the 7th district. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Carter also previously served on the

New Orleans City Council The New Orleans City Council is the legislative branch of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The current mayor-council form of city government was created in 1954, following the 1950 amendment of the state constitution that provide ...

and as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Early life and education

Carter was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. After graduating from Oliver Perry Walker High School in Algiers, he attended

Xavier University of Louisiana Xavier University of Louisiana (also known as XULA) is a private, historically black, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic HBCU and, upon the canonization of Katharine Drexel in 2000, became the first Cathol ...

, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. He has completed programs at the

Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

and Carnegie Mellon University's School of Urban and Public Affairs.

Early career

French Quarter Festival 1996, Opening Parade - Banner - crop Troy Carter

Carter has been an adjunct political science instructor at

. Before his election to the state legislature, he served six years as executive assistant to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

mayor

Sidney Barthelemy Sidney John Barthelemy (born March 17, 1942) is a former American political figure. The second African American to hold the New Orleans mayoral chair, he was a member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1974 to 1978 and a member at-large of the ...

. Carter was elected as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1991, becoming the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

to serve District 102 in the Louisiana House. As a state representative in 1993, he introduced legislation to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ individuals. After his election to the

Louisiana Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...

, he filed similar legislation in 2017 and 2020. In 1994, he was elected to represent District C on the

. He served until 2002, when he unsuccessfully ran for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

, losing the primary election to

Ray Nagin Clarence Raymond Joseph Nagin Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former politician who was the 60th Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 2002 to 2010. A Democrat, Nagin became internationally known in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane K ...

and

Richard Pennington Richard Pennington (November 26, 1946 – May 4, 2017) served as Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002 and Chief of the Atlanta Police Department in Atlanta, Georgia from 2002 to 2010. ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for

seat in 2006 against then-incumbent William J. Jefferson. After several years out of public office, Carter was elected to the

in 2015. He received 12,935 votes (56.8%) in the 2015 runoff election to Jeff Arnold's 9,852 (43.2%). Carter authored or co-sponsored 75 bills that went on to become law. While also serving as chair of the

Democratic Caucus, Carter chairs the Senate's Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. Carter also chairs the Algiers Development District.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2021 Special

On November 18, 2020, U.S. Representative Cedric Richmond announced that he would resign from

in January 2021 after having been selected by President-elect Joe Biden to be

Senior Advisor to the President Senior Advisor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States. White House senior advisors are senior members of the White House Office. The title has been formally used since 1993. Res ...

and the administration's director of the

Office of Public Liaison The White House Office of Public Engagement is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Under the administration of President Barack Obama, it was called the White House Office of Publ ...

. Carter then ran to fill the seat in Congress in the

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

. On March 20, 2021, Carter finished first in the top-two primary and advanced, with runner-up Senator Karen Carter Peterson, to the runoff election held on April 24. Carter was endorsed by Cedric Richmond,

John Breaux John Berlinger Breaux (; born March 1, 1944) is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician who was a member of the United States Senate from Louisiana from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives f ...

, 8 congressional Democrats, Helena Moreno,

Cleo Fields Cleo Fields (born November 22, 1962) is an American attorney and politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997 and ran unsuccessfully for governor of Louisiana in 1995. He serves as a state senator fo ...

Sharon Weston Broome Sharon Weston Broome (born October 1, 1956) is the mayor-president of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She served in the Louisiana State Senate representing the 15th district from 2005 to 2016. She was elected mayor-president in a runoff election hel ...

, the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

, the

Louisiana Democratic Party The Louisiana Democratic Party (french: Parti démocrate de Louisiane) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Louisiana. Dominated by the conservative planter elite through much of the 19th century, the party was historically p ...

, ''

The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...

,'' '' The Louisiana Weekly'', and ''Gambit''.'''' In the runoff, Carter received 48,511 votes (55.2%) to Peterson's 39,295 (44.8%).

Tenure

He was sworn in as the

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

on May 11, 2021, increasing the Democratic Party's majority to 219-212 over the Republican Party in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. On August 12, 2022, he voted to pass the

Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is a landmark United States federal law which aims to curb inflation by reducing the deficit, lowering prescription drug prices, and investing into domestic energy production while promoting clean en ...

Committee assignments

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. History The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was formerly known as the Committee on Public Works a ...

* Committee on Small Business

Caucus memberships

New Democrat Coalition The New Democrat Coalition is a caucus in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress made up of Democrats, primarily centrists, who take a pro-business stance and a moderate-to-conservative approach to fiscal matters. As of ...

Congressional Progressive Caucus The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most left-leaning faction of the Democratic Party. " e Congressional Progressive Cau ...

Political positions

Carter opposes

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

measures that have sought to restrict

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

and expand

gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...

. During his term of office as a state senator, he had two priorities: raising the state's minimum wage and strengthening anti-discrimination laws against the LGBTQ+ community. He supports the infrastructure policy of the Biden administration.

Personal life

Carter's wife Andreé serves in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...

, and achieved the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. They have two sons. The family lives on the Westbank of New Orleans, where Carter was born and raised.

References

External links

Representative Troy Carter
official U.S. House website
Troy Carter for Congress
campaign website * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Troy 1963 births 21st-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Louisiana African-American people in Louisiana politics Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Living people Democratic Party Louisiana state senators Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives New Orleans City Council members Xavier University of Louisiana alumni 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people