Troy Carter
Born 1963 · Age 62
American Democratic politician from New Orleans; U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district (since 2021). Former Louisiana state senator, New Orleans City Councilmember, and state representative. Adjunct professor and public speaker.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Troy Anthony Carter Sr. was born in New Orleans on October 26, 1963.
Graduated O. Perry Walker High School
Graduated from Oliver Perry Walker High School in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans.
Began role as Executive Assistant to Mayor Sidney Barthelemy (start)
Began serving as executive assistant to New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy; ultimately served approximately six years in this role prior to first election to state legislature.
Earned BA from Xavier University of Louisiana
Received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and business administration from Xavier University of Louisiana.
Youngest-ever floor leader representing New Orleans (approx.)
Served as the youngest-ever floor leader representing the City of New Orleans while a member of the Louisiana House (timeframe around early 1990s).
Elected to Louisiana House of Representatives (District 102)
Elected in 1991 to the Louisiana House, becoming the first African American to represent District 102.
Assumed office, Louisiana House of Representatives (District 102)
Officially took office in the Louisiana House in January 1992 (term following 1991 election).
Introduced LGBTQ non-discrimination legislation
As a state representative, introduced legislation to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ individuals (1993).
Elected to New Orleans City Council (District C)
Elected to represent District C on the New Orleans City Council (first African American elected to that position in modern history for District C).
Re-elected to New Orleans City Council without opposition
Made history by becoming the first incumbent District C councilmember in modern history to be re-elected without opposition.
Ran for Mayor of New Orleans (unsuccessful)
Resigned/left City Council to run for mayor in 2002; lost in the mayoral primary to Ray Nagin and Richard Pennington.
Unsuccessful run for U.S. House (LA-2)
Challenged incumbent William J. Jefferson for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district in 2006 and lost.
Completed executive training at Harvard Kennedy School (approx.)
Completed an executive training program at Harvard Kennedy School (date not specified in sources; estimated late 2000s).
Chair of Algiers Development District (chair ongoing by 2014)
Served as chair of the Algiers Development District (documented involvement by 2014).
Top-two primary for LA State Senate District 7
Competed in October 24, 2015 blanket primary for State Senate District 7; placed first with 37.4% (7,700 votes) and advanced to runoff.
Won LA State Senate District 7 runoff
Won the November 21, 2015 runoff for Louisiana State Senate District 7 with 12,935 votes (56.8%) over Jeff Arnold.
Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus (approx.)
Served as chairman of the Louisiana Senate Democratic Caucus during his time as state senator (2016 onward).
Chaired Senate Labor & Industrial Relations Committee
Served as Chairman of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and as chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus during Senate tenure.
Became Minority Leader of the Louisiana Senate
Elected Minority Leader of the Louisiana Senate (term noted as starting Jan 11, 2016).
Assumed office in Louisiana State Senate (District 7)
Took office as state senator for District 7 on January 11, 2016.
Filed anti-discrimination legislation in Louisiana Senate (LGBTQ protections)
Filed legislation in the Louisiana Senate to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ individuals (follow-up to his 1993 House measure).
Began/continued role as public policy/business executive
Served in the private sector including roles such as managing partner at Policy and Planning Partners, LLC (career outside of elected office noted in bios).
Authored or co-sponsored 75 bills that became law (by Senate tenure)
During his legislative career, authored/co-sponsored dozens of bills that passed into law (75 cited during his legislative tenure).
Endorsed Joe Biden for President
Publicly endorsed Joe Biden's presidential campaign (Ballotpedia notes endorsement for 2020).
Filed similar LGBTQ non-discrimination legislation again (2020)
Filed a repeat or similar anti-discrimination measure in the Louisiana Senate in 2020.
Cedric Richmond announced resignation; Carter declared he would run for LA-2
After Richmond's announcement he would join the incoming Biden administration, Troy Carter publicly said he would run for the soon-to-be-vacant LA-2 seat (tweeted Nov 18, 2020).
Assigned to House committees (Transportation & Infrastructure; Homeland Security)
Served on House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and Homeland Security Committee (committee service in the 117th Congress).
Listed as adjunct political science instructor at Xavier University
Served (and continues to serve) as an adjunct political science instructor at Xavier University of Louisiana.
Family: two sons and military spouse
Personal: has two sons (Troy Jr. and Joshua) with first wife Melanie Sanders; married to Andreé (Andreé Navarro), who serves in the U.S. Army Reserve (achieved general officer rank per public bios).
Founded/continued various public speaking and media engagements
Ongoing sought-after keynote speaker and media presence after election to Congress; appearances on major networks and at public events.
Recorded voting alignment with President Biden (117th Congress)
According to FiveThirtyEight analysis, voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time during the 117th Congress (2021–2023 session).
Endorsed by Cedric Richmond
Cedric Richmond endorsed Troy Carter's run for LA-2 (publicized Jan 18, 2021).
Finished first in LA-2 special primary
In the March 20, 2021 special primary to replace Cedric Richmond, Carter finished first with 36.4% (34,402 votes) and advanced to the April runoff.
Won special general election for U.S. House (LA-2)
Defeated Karen Carter Peterson in the April 24, 2021 runoff with 48,511 votes (55.2%) to Peterson's 39,295 (44.8%).
Sworn in as U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 2nd District
Sworn into the U.S. House on May 11, 2021; his seating increased the Democratic majority to 219–212 at that time.
Voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Voted in favor of the bipartisan infrastructure package during the 117th Congress (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021).
Launched/hosts 'What Makes America Tick' (founder & host)
Founder and host of the program 'What Makes America Tick' — a series of conversations with changemakers and thought leaders.
Voted for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
On August 12, 2022, Carter voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in the House.
Re-elected to U.S. House (2022 primary won outright)
Won the November 8, 2022 nonpartisan primary outright for LA-2 with 77.1% (158,120 votes), avoiding a runoff.
Awarded Honorary Doctorate Degrees (Xavier University & Southern University of New Orleans)
Received Honorary Doctorate Degrees of Humane Letters from Xavier University of Louisiana and Southern University of New Orleans (dates not specified; congressional bio references these honors).
Elected 1st Vice Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (approx.)
Selected/elected to leadership position in the Congressional Black Caucus as 1st Vice Chairman (congressional bio references this role; date approx. during current Congress).
Voted to provide Israel support after 2023 Hamas attack
Voted with the House majority to provide support for Israel following the October 2023 Hamas attack (roll call Oct 25, 2023).
Campaign finance totals (cumulative cycles)
Ballotpedia/FEC-sourced campaign contribution totals show ~ $2.04M raised in 2024 and $3.51M in 2022; cumulative available reported contributions ~ $6.14M across cycles listed.
Major public/media presence and published commentary
Featured writer/commentator in outlets including The Hill, Essence, and The New Orleans Tribune; frequent appearances on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Serves on multiple congressional caucuses
Member of the Climate Solutions Caucus, New Democrat Coalition, Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Congressional Blockchain Caucus (membership active in 2021–2024).
Re-elected to U.S. House (2024 primary won outright)
Won the November 5, 2024 nonpartisan primary outright for LA-2 with 60.3% (184,009 votes).
Declared/announced re-election campaign for 2026
Listed as the incumbent running for re-election for the November 3, 2026 general election (Ballotpedia entry indicates he is running in 2026).
Selected as a House Deputy Whip (approx.)
Selected by Democratic leadership to serve as a Deputy Whip on the House floor (noted in congressional biography; timing approx. 2023–2025 era).
Assigned to House Committee on Energy & Commerce (119th Congress)
Serves on the exclusive Committee on Energy and Commerce in the 119th Congress (per congressional bio for the 119th).
Key Achievement Ages
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