Rep. Bishop enters race to replace Sen. Ed Murray

8th June 2015   ·   0 Comments

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

The race to replace the term-limited Ed Murray in Orleans’ District 4 State Senate seat drew a high profile frontrunner last week, State Rep. Wesley Bishop.

He joins consultant and MIT graduate R. Erich Caulfield in what may be one of the only competitive Senate contests in the metro area in 2015. Murray represents one of the few Senate seats that will eject its incumbent due to term limits this year, and the veteran legislator has hinted that he may opt to run for the State House in October. (Murray served in the House prior to spending the last 12 years in the Senate.)

Both of the contenders to replace the incumbent Senator in District 4 are African-American, but the Lakeview to New Orleans East seat has undergone some of the most acute gentrification in the city. It is possible that a white Democratic contender might also jump into the field.

State Rep. Bishop was elected to represent eastern New Orleans in January 2011 with 75 percent of the vote and was re-elected that fall with 82 percent of the votes cast. In addition, he serves as 1st Vice Chair of the Louisiana Legislative Black Cau­cus and has served on the Appro­priations, Ways and Means, Education, Com­merce, Municipal and the Joint Committees on the Budget and Capitol Outlay.

He currently serves as Attorney/Associate Vice Chan­­cellor for Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor at Southern University at New Orleans. In addition, Rep. Bishop has served on the boards of the New Orleans International Airport, New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), Gentilly Development District, St. Mary’s Academy and McDonogh City Park Academy. In addition, he is a past member of the Louisiana Army National Guard and Vice President of the Spring Lake Neighborhood Assoc­iation.

Bishop said, “With my run for State Senate, I wish to continue to serve the citizens of New Orleans and work with my fellow legislators to raise the quality of life and meet the many needs of those in New Orleans. My experience with the Louisiana House has prepared me for further work in the State Senate and I hope my community continues to stand with me as I continue to stand up for them as their State Senator.”

He is a native of New Orleans and is a graduate of McDonogh #35 Senior High School. He has a bachelor’s degree from Southern University at New Orleans, where he served as Student Body President. Bishop has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Mis­sissippi and a law degree from Ohio State University. He is a fellow of the Harvard University Institute for Edu­cational Manage­ment and was chosen by Ebony magazine as one of the top 30 young leaders in the nation.

R. Erich Caulfield has been in field as a candidate for several months, garnering support.

As he explained, “”While growing up in Louisiana, I never dreamed that life would take me from Morehouse College to MIT, from being a White House Fellow to starting a company here in New Orleans. I want to serve as your State Senator to make sure that all of us have real opportunities for success and for pursuing our dreams.”

Caulfield, in an interview with The Louisiana Weekly, stated that he is undaunted at the prospect of facing a well-known political opponent. “I think the voters are tired of the same faces…and the same ideas.” Growing frustrations over the state budget and the slowing recovery will propel interest in his campaign, he suggested.

Caulfield graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Tech­nology (MIT) with a PhD and MS in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science in 2006 after ranking, Phi Beta Kappa Graduate in Physics and Mathematics from Morehouse College in 1998. Currently, he serves as founder and president of The Caulfield Consulting Group.

He previously served as New Orleans Team Lead, White House Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Initiative; as a White House Fellow, White House Domestic Policy Council; as a Chief Policy Advisor to former Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker, and as an Associate for McKinsey & Company management consulting firm.

Locally, he serves on the New Orleans Business Alliance Board of Directors, the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute Board of Directors, the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Assoc­iation Executive Board, and the Longue Vue House and Gardens Board of Directors.

He is the youngest ever two term elected member of the MIT Board of Trustees, as well as holding its MIT Alumni National Disting­uished Service Award and was featured in a Black Enterprise magazine story on career trajectories.

R. Erich Caulfield’s website is http://caulfield2015.com/. Wesley Bishop’s website is http://wesleybishop.org.

This article originally published in the June 8, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.