Democrats look to longtime state Sen. Cleo Fields to flip Louisiana congressional seat blue

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Poised to flip a once reliably Republican congressional seat in Louisiana, Democrats’ are placing their hopes with state Sen. Cleo Fields, who has been a fixture in state politics for more than three decades and is looking to return to Congress.

Political experts say the path to Washington seems to be paved for Fields as he runs in a recently redrawn 6th District, which became the second majority-Black district in the state. Its makeup favors a likely Democratic victory, swaying GOP incumbent Rep. Garret Graves not to seek reelection.

Fields, 61, has quickly gained the endorsement of the Louisiana Democratic Party and amassed a significant financial advantage on the campaign trail.

“Cleo is the clear frontrunner in this race,” said Robert Hogan, chair of Louisiana State University’s political science department. “Simply given his financing for the campaign, his statewide name recognition and the fact that he is a prominent African American who has gotten a lot of attention for his work in the Legislature.”

But Hogan also noted that Fields’ prominence is linked to “some negative stuff,” an old scandal that opponents have been quick to point to: Specifically, a grainy FBI video from 1997 showing Fields handling a bundle of money in former Gov. Edwin Edwards ’ office.

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