Sharon Weston Broome

Sharon Weston Broome

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Louisiana House of Representatives

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Louisiana State Senate District 15

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Mayor of Baton Rouge

Successor: Emile Edwards

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

December 7, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse

Graduate

Regent University

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

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Campaign YouTube

Personal YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Personal TikTok

Sharon Weston Broome (Democratic Party) was the Mayor of Baton Rouge in Louisiana. Broome assumed office on January 2, 2017. Broome left office on December 31, 2024.

Broome (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Mayor of Baton Rouge in Louisiana. Broome lost in the general election on December 7, 2024.

Broome was Baton Rouge's first Black female mayor-president.

Biography

Broome graduated from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse with a B.A. in mass communication and earned an M.A. in communications from Regent University. Her professional experience includes working as adjunct faculty at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Community College, and Southern University. Broome was also a reporter for WBRZ.

Broome served on the advisory board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and as co-chairwoman of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative.

Elections

2024

See also: Mayoral election in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2024)

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent 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.

General election

General election for Mayor of Baton Rouge

Emile Edwards defeated incumbent Sharon Weston Broome in the general election for Mayor of Baton Rouge on December 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emile Edwards (R)	54.1	57,308
		Sharon Weston Broome (D)	45.9	48,587

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 105,895
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Baton Rouge

The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of Baton Rouge on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emile Edwards (R)	34.4	64,862
✔		Sharon Weston Broome (D)	31.2	58,844
		Edward James (D)	28.4	53,510
	Submit photo	Steve Myers (R)	2.4	4,541
	Submit photo	Tambra Cook (R)	1.4	2,587
	Submit photo	Nathaniel Hearn (R)	1.1	2,120
	Submit photo	Ryan Carter (Independent)	0.8	1,527
	Submit photo	William Roundtree (Independent)	0.3	656

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 188,647
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gregory Taylor (Independent)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Broome in this election.

2020

See also: Mayoral election in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2020)

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent 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.

General election

General election for Mayor of Baton Rouge

Incumbent Sharon Weston Broome defeated Steve Carter in the general election for Mayor of Baton Rouge on December 5, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sharon Weston Broome (D)	56.5	65,495
	Submit photo	Steve Carter (R)	43.5	50,353

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 115,848
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Baton Rouge

The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of Baton Rouge on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sharon Weston Broome (D)	48.1	98,722
✔	Submit photo	Steve Carter (R)	19.9	40,757
		Matthew Watson (R)	13.2	27,062
	Submit photo	Jordan Piazza (R)	9.8	20,012
		Denise Marcelle (D)	7.1	14,603
	Submit photo	E Eric Guirard (Independent)	1.4	2,968
	Submit photo	Frank Smith (R)	0.5	978

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 205,102
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tara Wicker (D)

Note: The city of Baton Rouge operates under a consolidated government with the Parish of East Baton Rouge. Members of the Metro Council are elected through 12 districts within the parish. The mayor-president is elected by the entire parish. The cities of Central, Baker, and Zachary each have their own governing bodies, but residents are able to vote for the mayor-president and members of the Metro Council.

2016

The city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, held elections for mayor and metropolitan council on December 10, 2016. A primary election took place on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 22, 2016. All 12 metropolitan council seats were up for election. Sharon Weston Broome defeated Bodi White in the Baton rouge mayoral general election.

Mayor of Baton Rouge, General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Sharon Weston Broome	51.83%	59,637
	Republican	Bodi White	48.17%	55,421
Total Votes				115,058
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed December 21, 2016

Mayor of Baton Rouge, Primary Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Sharon Weston Broome	31.62%	60,368
	Republican	Bodi White	29.36%	56,059
	Democratic	C. Denise Marcelle	13.34%	25,477
	Republican	John Delgado	8.41%	16,049
	Republican	R.J. Bourgeois	6.13%	11,710
	Independent	Darryl Gissel	5.88%	11,228
	Democratic	Greg LaFleur	1.83%	3,498
	Democratic	Byron Sharper	1.30%	2,484
	Libertarian	Rufus Craig	1.05%	2,002
	Independent	Beverly Amador	0.44%	843
	Republican	Braylon Hyde	0.42%	805
	Independent	Cade Williams	0.21%	410
Total Votes				190,933
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 8, 2016

2015

See also: Louisiana State Senate elections, 2015

Elections for the Louisiana State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on October 24, 2015, with a general election held in districts where necessary on November 21, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 10, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.
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. Regina Barrow (D) defeated Dalton Honore (D) and Jerrie Williams (R) in the October 24 blanket primary.

Louisiana State Senate, District 15 Primary Election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Regina Barrow	53.1%	14,101
	Democratic	Dalton Honore	33.1%	8,796
	Republican	Jerrie Williams	13.9%	3,683
Total Votes				26,580

2011

See also: Louisiana State Senate elections, 2011

Weston Broome ran for re-election in 2011. She was unopposed in the October 22 primary. Because Louisiana uses a blanket primary system, a candidate can be declared the overall winner of the seat by garnering over 50 percent of the vote in the primary. However, if no candidate reaches this threshold, then a general election would have taken place on November 19, 2011, between the top-two vote getters.

2007

In 2007 Broome was elected to the Louisiana State Senate District 15. Broome (D) finished with 23,608 votes while her opponent James Slaughter finished with 5,877 votes.

Louisiana State Senate District 15
Candidates		Votes
Sharon Weston Broome (D)		23,608
James Slaughter		5,877

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sharon Weston Broome did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Sharon Weston Broome did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Broome's 2016 campaign website stated the following:

“	There are common concerns that emerge surrounding crime, traffic, healthcare, and education. Everyone should have the opportunity to prosper and thrive. Certain segments of our community feel abandoned. I will take action to close the gaps that exist in our community. Something has to be done about the deterioration of pockets in our city. The realization and agreement of the interconnectedness of our community is what will take us to the next level. Communities rise and fall together.	”
—Sharon Weston Broome (2016)

Campaign finance summary

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State legislative tenure

Committee assignments

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Broome served on the following committees:

Louisiana committee assignments, 2015
• Insurance
• Local & Municipal Affairs
• Revenue & Fiscal Affairs

2012-2013

In the 2012-2013 legislative session, Broome served on the following committees:

• Insurance
• Local & Municipal Affairs
• Revenue & Fiscal Affairs
• Joint Legislative Budget, Ex Officio
• Joint Legislative Capital Outlay

2010-2011

In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Broome served on the following committees:

• Joint Legislative Budget Committee
• Finance
• Insurance

2008-2009

In the 2008-2009 legislative session, Broome served on the following committees:

• Finance

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Louisiana

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Louisiana scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2015

In 2015, the Louisiana State Legislature was in session from April 13 through June 11.

• Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

Legislators are scored on bills of interest to Louisiana businesses.

• Louisiana Association of Educators

Legislators are scored on votes related to educators and public education.

• Louisiana Family Forum

Legislators are scored on bills related to family issues.

• GreenArmy

Legislators are scored on bills related to the environment.

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].

In 2014, the Louisiana State Legislature was in session from March 10 through June 3. GreenArmy Legislators are scored on bills related to the environment. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Legislators are scored on bills of interest to Louisiana businesses. Louisiana Association of Educators Legislators are scored on votes related to educators and public education. Louisiana Family Forum: Senate and House Legislators are scored by the Louisiana Family Forum on bills that "protect and promote families and traditional values in Louisiana." Louisiana Right to Life Federation: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to abortion. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].

In 2013, the Louisiana State Legislature was in session from April 8 to June 6. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Legislators are scored on bills of interest to Louisiana businesses. Louisiana Association of Educators Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to educators and public education. Louisiana Family Forum: Senate and House Legislators are scored by the Louisiana Family Forum on bills that "protect and promote families and traditional values in Louisiana." Louisiana Right to Life Federation: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to abortion.

2012

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show].

In 2012, the Louisiana State Legislature was in session from March 12 through June 4. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Legislators are scored on bills of interest to Louisiana businesses. Louisiana Family Forum: Senate and House Legislators are scored by the Louisiana Family Forum on bills that "protect and promote families and traditional values in Louisiana." Louisiana Right to Life Federation: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to abortion.

Noteworthy events

Events and activity following the death of George Floyd

See also: Events following the death of George Floyd and responses in select cities from May 29-31, 2020

Broome was mayor of Baton Rouge during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, began on Saturday, May 30, 2020, at Elevate Church. No curfews were issued. The national guard was not deployed.

To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right.

On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested Floyd, a Black man, after receiving a call that he had made a purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a White officer, arrived at the scene and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck as Floyd laid face-down on the street in handcuffs. Both the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and an independent autopsy conducted by Floyd's family ruled Floyd's death as a homicide stemming from the incident. The medical examiner's report, prepared by Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, said that it was "not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process." On April 20, 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in relation to Floyd's death. Floyd's death was filmed and shared widely, leading to activity regarding racism, civil rights, and police use of force. The first events took place in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 26. An event in Chicago organized by Chance the Rapper and Rev. Michael Pfleger took place the same day, making it the first major city outside of Minneapolis to host an event in response to Floyd's death.

According to The Advocate, Broome "joined protesters during the first demonstration organized in Baton Rouge, which was a peaceful march through downtown to the state capitol."

Broome said regarding police unions, "I'm going to be very transparent because now is not the time to hold back. ... Unfortunately as we try to make transformation within a system … many times the union is an obstruction to weeding out the bad cops. Every police officer isn't a bad cop and we know that. But there are some who shouldn't be in the police department."

On June 12, 2020, Broome announced the launch of a 24-member Commission on Equity and Justice that would focus on "community and economic development; education, health and human services; arts, culture and community based nonprofits; and government entities." She created the commission with an executive order.

COVID-19 response

See also: Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Louisiana)

The Advocate reported that Broome's response to the COVID-19 pandemic closely followed guidance from Gov. John Bel Edwards (D). On April 26, the paper quoted Broome saying, "I'm very big on data. I want to stick with science as well as collaborate with some of our major business stakeholders in this community."

On May 5, 2020, Broome announced the Mayor’s Business Roundtable Economic Recovery Working Group, a group to "facilitate the responsible reopening of business activity in East Baton Rouge Parish, and create a strategy for repositioning industries, businesses and the work force in the COVID-19 economy." According to a press release, the group would "develop recommendations for the near-term goals needed to move into Phase 1 of economic reopening, and will establish goals and timelines for moving into Phases 2 and 3."

WAFB provided the following statement from Broome on May 11:

“

As Mayor-President, my chief concern is the health and safety of our residents. The data provided by the Louisiana Department of Health shows Region 2 is making progress in our fight against COVID19. Yet, the battle is not over. For that reason, I’m urging everyone to strictly adhere to the physical distancing guidelines laid out by Governor Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health as we move into Phase 1 of reopening. The worst thing we can do to our economy during the coronavirus pandemic is to cause a new spike in cases, forcing us to return to Stay at Home order. During Phase 1, I’m urging residents to be very cautious whenever in public. Please wear a face covering, avoid large gatherings, and practice good hygiene. Vulnerable residents, such as older adults and individuals with underlying health conditions, should continue to stay at home during this time.

”

Broome hosted a dial-in prayer vigil on June 1 in conjunction with the day being recognized as a National Day of Mourning and Lament for COVID-19 deaths.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Broome and her husband, Marvin Alonzo, have three children.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Mayor of Baton Rouge 2017-2024	Succeeded by Emile Edwards (R)
Preceded by -	Louisiana State Senate District 15 2005-2016	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Louisiana House of Representatives 1992-2005	Succeeded by -