Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District elections, 2014

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
2016 →
← 2012

CongressLogo.png

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District
Primary Election Date
November 4, 2014
General Election Date
December 6, 2014
General Election Winner:
Garret Graves Republican Party
Incumbent prior to election:
Bill Cassidy Republican Party
Bill Cassidy.jpg
Race Ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid R[1]

Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2]

Fairvote's Monopoly Politics: Safe R[3]
Louisiana U.S. House Elections
District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6
2014 U.S. Senate Elections
2014 U.S. House Elections
Flag of Louisiana.png

The 6th Congressional District of Louisiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.

Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

The election was decided in a general election between Edwin Edwards (D) and Garret Graves (R) due to no candidate winning the majority of votes in the primary election. Graves defeated Edwards in the general election on December 6, 2014.[4] The 5th Congressional District of Louisiana was the only other district in Louisiana to have a general election.

Edwards was the former governor of Louisiana. He was sentenced to serve time in prison for charges of racketeering.[5] Though Edwards had widespread name recognition, Cassidy's seat was expected to likely be won by Graves in the December general election. November polls showed Graves leading by over 20 percentage points against Edwards.[6] Moreover, Cook Political Report rated the district as the 24th most Republican district in the entire country.[7] Graves however emphasized that despite his advantages, he was not going to take the election lightly. “I don’t ever take anything for granted. I’m focusing on the fact that my name recognition is still about half of Gov. Edwards’,” Graves said.[8]

The incumbent was Bill Cassidy (R), who was first elected in 2008. Cassidy announced on April 3, 2013, that he would challenge incumbent Mary Landrieu (D) for the Senate seat in Louisiana.[9]

Candidate Filing Deadline Primary Election General Election
August 22, 2014
November 4, 2014
December 6, 2014

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by October 6, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was November 5, 2014.[10][11]

See also: Louisiana elections, 2014

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Bill Cassidy (R), who was first elected in 2008. Cassidy announced on April 3, 2013, that he would be challenging incumbent Mary Landrieu (D) for the Senate seat in Louisiana.[12]

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District is located in the south-central area of the state. All of Livingston and Point Coupee parishes and portions of Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, Terrebonne, and West Baton Rouge parishes are located in the district. [13]

Candidates

Failed to file

Rumored candidates

Withdrew prior to primary

Declined to run

Elections

General election results

The 6th Congressional District of Louisiana held a general election for the U.S. House of Representatives on December 6, 2014. Garret Graves (R) defeated Edwin Edwards (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Louisiana District 6 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGarret Graves 62.4% 139,209
     Democratic Edwin Edwards 37.6% 83,781
Total Votes 222,990
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State

Primary election results

The 6th Congressional District of Louisiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Garret Graves (R) and Edwin Edwards (D) secured enough votes to participate in a general on December 6, 2014.

U.S. House, Louisiana District 6 Primary Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Bob Bell 2.0% 5,182
     Republican Dan Claitor 10.26% 26,524
     Republican Norm Clark 0.71% 1,848
     Republican Paul Dietzel 13.55% 35,024
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGarret Graves 27.36% 70,715
     Republican Craig McCulloch 2.25% 5,815
     Republican Trey Thomas 0.56% 1,447
     Republican Lenar Whitney 7.41% 19,151
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngEdwin Edwards 30.12% 77,866
     Democratic Richard Lieberman 2.83% 7,309
     Democratic Peter Williams 1.56% 4,037
     Libertarian Rufus Holt Craig Jr. 1.38% 3,561
Total Votes 258,479
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State

Polls

December 6th General election

Graves (R) v. Edwards (D)
Poll Garret Graves (R) Edwin Edwards (D)UndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
JMC Analytics and Polling
November 17, 2014
 61%35%4%+/-3.5793
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

General election

Dietzel (R) v. Edwards (D)
Poll Paul Dietzel (R) Edwin Edwards (D)UndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
JMC Analytics and Polling
April 10-12, 2014
 48%39%13%+/-3.9621
JMC Analytics and Polling
February 24-25, 2014
 43%34%23%+/-4.1581
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org


General election candidates
Poll Edwin Edwards (D) Dan Claitor (R)Paul Dietzel (R)Craig McCulloch (R)Garret Graves (R)Cassie Felder (R)Charles "Trey" Thomas (R)Richard Lieberman (D)UndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
JMC Analytics and Polling
April 10-12, 2014
 32%11%11%1%2%2%0%0%30%+/-3.9621
Glascock Group
March 20, 2014
 43%20.3%19.2%4.4%4%3.9%2.6%2.5%0%+/-3.0718
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Republican primary

Dietzel (R) v. Claitor (R)
Poll Paul Dietzel (R) Dan Claitor (R)UndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
JMC Analytics and Polling
February 24-25, 2014
 18%17%65%+/-4.1581
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Key votes

Below are important votes the incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

Yea3.png On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit.[40] Cassidy joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.[41][42]

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

Yea3.png On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[43] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[44] Cassidy voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[45]

Nay3.png The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[46] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Cassidy voted against HR 2775.[47]

Campaign contributions

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season.

Edwin Edwards

Edwin Edwards (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[48]April 15, 2014$0$33,171$(5,789)$27,381
July QuarterlyJuly 15, 2014$27,381$177,305$(63,344)$141,342
Running totals
$210,476$(69,133)

Paul Dietzel

Cassie Felder

Cassie Felder (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
Year End[53]January 31, 2014$0$0$(1,849)$20,073
April Quarterly[54]April 15, 2014$20,073$0$(14,457)$5,615
July QuarterlyJuly 15, 2014$18,281$32,050$(24,691)$25,639
Running totals
$32,050$(40,997)

Dan Claitor

Dan Claitor (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[55]April 15, 2014$0$158,322$(24,302)$134,020
July QuarterlyJuly 15, 2014$134,020$62,621$(68,024)$128,617
Running totals
$220,943$(92,326)

Craig McCulloch

Craig McCulloch (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[56]April 15, 2014$0.00$33,595$(27,015)$106,579
July QuarterlyJuly 15, 2014$106,579$22,581$(136,792)$93,368
Running totals
$56,176$(163,807)

Charles Thomas

Charles Thomas (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[57]April 15, 2014$0$8,685$(7,470)$1,214
Running totals
$8,685$(7,470)

Bob Bell

Bob Bell (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
July QuarterlyJuly 15, 2014$3,051$1,429$(4,401)$79
Running totals
$1,429$(4,401)

Garrett Graves

Garret Graves (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[58]April 16, 2014$0$320,827$(8,146)$312,681
July Quarterly[59]July 15, 2014$312,681$494,104$(84,352)$722,070
Running totals
$814,931$(92,498)

Lenar Whitney

Lenar Whitney (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
July QuarterlyJuly 15, 2014$0.00$123,172$(18,220)$104,952
Running totals
$123,172$(18,220)

District history

Candidate ballot access
Ballot Access Requirements Final.jpg
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

2012

On November 6, 2012, Bill Cassidy (R) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rufus Holt Craig Jr. and Richard Torregano in the general election.

U.S. House, Louisiana District 6 Primary Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBill Cassidy Incumbent 79.4% 243,553
     Libertarian Rufus Holt Craig,Jr 10.5% 32,185
     None Richard Torregano 10.1% 30,975
Total Votes 306,713
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Bill Cassidy won re-election to the United States House, defeating Merritt E. McDonald Sr. (D).

U.S. House, Louisiana District 6 Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBill Cassidy 65.6% 138,607
     Democratic Merritt E. McDonald Sr. 34.4% 72,577
Total Votes 211,184

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR June 26, 2014," accessed August 7, 2014
  2. ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 7, 2014
  3. ↑ Fairvote, "FairVote Releases Projections for the 2014 Congressional Elections," accessed August 7, 2014
  4. ↑ Politico, "Louisiana Runoff Election Results," accessed December 6, 2014
  5. ↑ The Washington Post, "The greatest quotes of Edwin Edwards," March 17, 2014
  6. ↑ JMC Analytics "6th Congressional District Poll Results," November 17, 2014
  7. ↑ The Advocate "Political analysts: Why Garret Graves is likely to prevail in Congressional 6th District runoff vs. Edwin Edwards ," November 14, 2014
  8. ↑ The Advocate "Political analysts: Why Garret Graves is likely to prevail in Congressional 6th District runoff vs. Edwin Edwards ," November 14, 2014
  9. ↑ Roll Call, "Louisiana: Cassidy Challenging Landrieu" accessed April 9, 2013
  10. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State Website, "Register to Vote," accessed January 3, 2014
  11. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State Website, "Search Election Dates," accessed September 4, 2014
  12. ↑ Roll Call, "Louisiana: Cassidy Challenging Landrieu" accessed April 9, 2013
  13. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 NOLA.com, "Rick Ward drops out of race for Bill Cassidy's 6th Congressional District seat," accessed August 23, 2013
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Louisiana Elections and Voting, "Candidate list," accessed August 27, 2014
  16. ↑ Politico, "Ex-gov announces bid for Congress," accessed March 17, 2014
  17. ↑ Roll Call, "Report: Edwin Edwards Mulls Congressional Bid," accessed January 2, 2013
  18. ↑ Bloomberg, "Ex-Con Ex-Governor Running for Congress," accessed February 20, 2014
  19. ↑ NOLA.com, "Bloomberg report confirming Edwin Edwards run for Congress not true, wife Trina says," accessed February 20, 2014
  20. ↑ Paul Dietzel for Congress "Home" accessed July 26, 2013
  21. ↑ The Hay Ride "BREAKING: Dietzel Announces For Cassidy’s Congressional Seat" accessed July 26, 2013
  22. ↑ Bayou Buzz, "Candidate pool in race for Louisiana's 6th Congressional District could double by year's end," accessed December 2, 2013 (dead link)
  23. ↑ NOLA.com, "Statement of Candidacy," accessed December 2, 2013
  24. ↑ NOLA.com, "Baton Rouge lawmaker Dan Claitor will run in Louisiana's 6th Congressional District," accessed December 9, 2013
  25. ↑ The Daily Reveille, "LSU student announces plan to run for U.S. House seat," accessed January 22, 2014
  26. ↑ The Advocate, "Thomas running for Congress," accessed February 3, 2014
  27. ↑ NOLA.com, "Baker small businessman Craig McCulloch to run for seat in Louisiana's 6th District," accessed February 18, 2014
  28. ↑ AP News, "Jindal's ex-coastal leader running for Congress," accessed March 1, 2014
  29. ↑ NOLA.com, "Lenar Whitney floated as possible candidate in Louisiana's 6th congressional district," accessed May 28, 2014
  30. ↑ NOLA.com, "Houma state representative Lenar Whitney officially enters congressional race," accessed June 4, 2014
  31. ↑ Greenwich Times, "Craig seeks 6th congressional seat again," accessed March 26, 2014
  32. ↑ News Orleans Advocate, "Libertarian Craig joins 6th District race for Congress," accessed March 26, 2014
  33. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nolalist
  34. ↑ Nola.com, "Baton Rouge Council Member Ryan Heck confirms plans to run for Congress," accessed August 23, 2013
  35. ↑ The Advocate, "Lawyer joins race for Congress," accessed February 3, 2014
  36. ↑ Bayou Buzz, " Tony Perkins Considers Run for Congress," accessed October 15, 2013
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 Roll Call "Landrieu Race Pivotal to Political Futures in Bayou State | Farm Team" accessed July 26, 2013
  38. ↑ NOLA.com, "Shelley Hendrix could jump into 6th District race, report says," accessed February 12, 2014
  39. ↑ Nola.com, "Newly-minted Port Allen Republican to run for Cassidy's seat," accessed August 12, 2013
  40. ↑ U.S. House, "House Resolution 676," accessed July 30, 2014
  41. ↑ Associated Press, "Suing Obama: GOP-led House gives the go-ahead," July 31, 2014
  42. ↑ Washington Post, "House clears way for lawsuit against Obama," accessed July 30, 2014
  43. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  44. ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
  45. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  46. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
  47. ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
  48. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
  49. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly" accessed July 30, 2013
  50. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed November 11, 2013
  51. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End Report," accessed March 4, 2014
  52. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
  53. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End Report," accessed March 4, 2014
  54. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
  55. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
  56. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
  57. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
  58. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
  59. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed August 4, 2014
v • e
2013-2014 Elections to the United States Congress
Senate by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arkansas • Colorado • Delaware • Georgia • Illinois • Idaho • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Montana • Nebraska • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • North Carolina • Oklahoma • Oregon • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Virginia • West Virginia • Wyoming
CongressLogo.png
House by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Senate Special Elections
House Special Elections
Election information
Super PACs/Organizations


Louisiana's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Bill Cassidy (R)
John Kennedy (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
Republican Party (6)
Democratic Party (2)

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Louisiana%27s_6th_Congressional_District_elections,_2014&oldid=10437853"