U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields says he will not seek re-election to Congress after a turbulent redistricting battle reshaped the future of Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District.
Fields announced Wednesday that he will instead run to fill the unexpired term representing Louisiana Senate District 14.
“After a great deal of prayer and reflection, I have decided not to seek re-election to Congress, in the 6th District or any other district in Louisiana,” Fields said. “Instead, I will be running to fill the unexpired term for the state Senate in the 14th District.”
Fields said he believes he can better serve Louisiana residents closer to home.
“I feel my calling to serve the people is better put to use back home than here in D.C., and I intend to answer that call,” Fields said.
The decision comes after months of uncertainty surrounding the congressional district that Fields represented.
Louisiana lawmakers created a second majority-Black congressional district ahead of the 2024 election after a federal court found that an earlier map diluted Black voting power. The reconfigured 6th District stretched from Baton Rouge toward Shreveport and increased the percentage of Black voters in the district from about 25% to 55%. Fields won the seat in 2024.
The U.S. Supreme Court later struck down the map, finding that Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating the second majority-Black district. The ruling forced lawmakers to draw new congressional boundaries and prompted officials to remove U.S. House races from the May 16 election schedule.
Lawmakers considered several competing plans. Some would have made Fields’ district majority white, while another could have placed Fields and Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter in the same majority-Black district.
The Republican-controlled Legislature ultimately approved a map with one majority-Black congressional district. Gov. Jeff Landry signed the map into law in June. The plan maintained a Democratic-leaning district for Carter while reducing the Black voting population in Fields’ district.
Fields plans to discuss his decision, the future of the 6th Congressional District and his state Senate campaign during a news conference Friday.
The news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 24 at The Executive Center in Baton Rouge.
READ MORE:Cleo Fields exits U.S. Congress race, announces bid to return to state Senate
