NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Congressman Steve Scalise has secured his seat for Louisiana’s 1st District after winning a simple majority vote on Tuesday (Nov. 8).
Currently serving as the House minority whip, Scalise earned 73% of the vote, followed by challengers Katie Darling (D) with 25% and Howard Kearney (L) with 2%.
The New Orleans native and graduate of Archbishop Rummel High School won with the same percentage of votes as the last time he was re-elected.
Tuesday’s election secures Scalise’s eighth term in Congress. He first took office in early 2008 after Bobby Jindal resigned to become Governor of Louisiana, leading to a special election. From 2014 to 2019, Scalise served as the House majority whip and was later selected to be the House minority whip which he has since held.
In 2017, Scalise made headlines after a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball practice in Virginia. More than 50 rounds were believed to have been fired, severely wounding Scalise and a congressional staffer.
Tuesday’s election was critical in deciding which party will take control of Congress with 35 Senate and all 435 House seats up for grabs. Historically, mid-term elections have been known to lean towards the party opposite of the residing President.
Louisiana’s 1st District largely covers suburbs of New Orleans, spanning across the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore and down to the Mississippi River delta. Deciding voters include those living in select areas of the following parishes:
- Orleans
- Jefferson
- St. Tammany
- Tangipahoa
- St. Bernard
- Plaquemines
- Lafourche
- Terrebonne
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