WASHINGTON – New Orleans Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter is the first candidate running for chair of the Congressional Black Caucus – arguing that he wants the influential caucus on Capitol Hill to work more effectively in pushing policies that help everyday people.
“I’m absolutely going to run, and (I’m) hopeful that I will have the support of my colleagues to lead this very powerful and significant caucus,” Carter said Thursday.
In his third two-year term in the U.S. House, Carter is in the number-two role as first vice chair for the Congressional Black Caucus and well-positioned to take over from Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-New York, who is stepping down.
“The CBC is more than a caucus. It is a powerful voice for millions of African Americans and for all people who have too often been overlooked, underserved, or denied equal opportunity. Should my colleagues entrust me with this responsibility, I will lead with humility, courage, and an unwavering commitment to liberty, justice, equality, and opportunity for all,” Carter, 62, said in an interview.
The election for CBC chair will be held after the November 3 midterm elections and the new leader will take office in January.
Carter believes the CBC is growing into a stronger influence in policy debates.
“I’ve worked very hard to to be a bridge builder within the caucus and outside the caucus. And I think now more than ever, it's what we need in Washington,” Carter said. “People that are able to work within the caucus, but also recognize that the caucus makes up one part of the Congress. Our responsibility is to use that force to build with other forces to advance good, sound policy.”
Louisiana power players
Should the Democrats win the majority in the 120th Congress that begins its two-year term in January, Carter’s election as CBC leader would mitigate Louisiana’s loss of influence on Capitol Hill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Benton, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of Jefferson, now the chamber’s top two leaders – will step into new roles should the Republicans lose the majority in November.
In that scenario, which polls suggest is not unlikely, Carter predicts his friend and fraternity brother, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-Brooklyn, will become House speaker. The two have a good relationship and are on the same page for most issues, he said.
Why the caucus is important
With 435 representatives and 100 senators, Congress often breaks up into cliques who discuss policies, figure out stances, and create strategies that enhance their influence.
The largest Democratic group is the New Democrat Coalition, with 114 members who focus on economic policy and national security. Carter is a member of that group too.
The Republican Study Committee, whose 189 members research and develop conservative policies, is that party’s largest caucus. Both Scalise and Johnson have chaired the Study Committee.
Formed in 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus is one of the more influential voices in Congress, particularly within the Democratic Party.
Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris were members when they were in Congress. So was civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta.
Becoming CBC chairs has been a boost for the holders of the office.
Cedric Richmond, who went on to become a top aide to President Joe Biden, and Karen Bass, who is mayor of Los Angeles, have been caucus chairs.
Challenges ahead
The 62-member Congressional Black Caucus has more members than ever before — but it faces more challenges in an era where Republicans control all three branches of government and thus control the levers of power.
Those numbers likely will change after the November 3 midterm elections.
Some states, including Louisiana, used the Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v Callais to redraw and eliminate the districts that had been configured to elect minority candidates.
“We’ve lost my colleague and friend, Congressman Cleo Fields,” Carter said of the Baton Rouge Democrat, who announced Tuesday he would not seek reelection in a seat that was redrawn in May to ensure that five of Louisiana’s six representatives would be White Republicans.
“That repeats itself in Texas and Alabama, perhaps, and other places, so we will lose some (seats). But in other places, we'll pick up, certainly offset some of the losses,” Carter said. “So, this notion that the Congressional Black Caucus will be weakened is not true. We’ve demonstrated that even with small numbers, we have good voices.”
Carter said CBC will continue fighting for voting rights and challenging the Supreme Court, which “seems to have lost their way. We need to reform measures so we can get the guardrails of our checks and balances healthy again.”
The Black Caucus, like the rest of the Democratic Party, also is struggling with how to incorporate far-left wing members who seek more radical solutions and more aggressive confrontations with the Trump administration.
Carter says that theme has been overblown by the media.
“New members coming in who have very bold ideas are not going to be silenced. We’re not going to just throw them to the side because they have bold ideas,” Carter said. “Part of leadership is harnessing those ideas, harnessing that energy, and morphing it into a position that we can all work on to advance what’s best for the American people. The role that I intend to play as leader of the caucus is to not allow outside voices to try to pit one against the other.”
Carter began his political career in the 1980s as an aide to New Orleans Mayor Sydney Barthelmy. He represented Algiers in the Louisiana House starting in 1991, then the New Orleans City Council in 1994.
In 2015, Carter was elected to the state Senate and won election to Congress in 2021 when Richmond resigned to work in the White House.
He serves on House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees oil and gas exploration and production policies.