Congratulations Rep. Troy Carter

On Wednesday, November 30, Second District Rep. Troy A. Carter was elected Second Vice-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. That constitutes a nearly-unheard-of, meteoric rise for a politician who only ascended to the U.S. House in the past year and a half – and had pretty much stood retired from politics a decade ago.

Carter is a little older than some of his colleagues, though not as old as some. However, in his brief time in federal office, the Algiers native has become a source of counsel and advice for many in his party’s caucus.

His relationships across the aisle, particularly with the new GOP Majority Leader Steve Scalise, matched with his encyclopedic knowledge of policy and legislation, have rendered Carter into the status of “mentor,” even to some in Congress longer than he.

His ascent stands as particularly astonishing as after his defeat for mayor of New Orleans two decades ago, Carter appeared finished in politics, off the City Council, possessed of little chance to return to the legislature. An election just over ten years later brought him back to Baton Rouge, and in the state Senate, Carter excelled in creating coalitions on controversial and complex pieces of legislation. Still, election to Congress seemed unlikely, as Karen Carter-Peterson looked ready (and well-financed) to avenge her post-Katrina defeat for the U.S. House. Facing her and a crowded field of challengers, Carter nonetheless sailed into Congress in 2021, and now looks primed to serve as an influential voice in the Congressional Black Caucus.

This article originally published in the December 5, 2022 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.