U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields Won't Seek Reelection After Louisiana Redraws Congressional Map

BATON ROUGE, La. (BAMM Network) — U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection after Louisiana lawmakers redrew his congressional district following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's previous map.

Rep. Cleo Fields, D-La., center, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Instead, the veteran Democrat said he plans to run for the Louisiana State Senate, where he previously served for nearly two decades.

"After a great deal of prayer and reflection, I have decided not to seek reelection, to Congress, in the 6th District or any other district in Louisiana," Fields said in a statement.

Fields' decision comes just months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana's majority-Black 6th Congressional District was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. In response, the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a new congressional map in May that significantly reshaped the district to favor Republican candidates in this fall's elections.

The redistricting battle has become one of the nation's most closely watched voting rights disputes, highlighting the ongoing tension between efforts to comply with the Voting Rights Act and constitutional limits on the use of race in drawing congressional districts. The Supreme Court's ruling in the Louisiana case has also influenced similar legal fights over congressional maps in other states.

Louisiana Republicans had considered adopting an even more aggressive map that could have given the GOP an opportunity to win all six of the state's congressional seats. However, party leaders ultimately settled on a plan that reshaped

Fields' district by adding more predominantly white communities around Baton Rouge and southern Louisiana while avoiding changes that could have jeopardized Republican-held seats elsewhere in the state.

Fields is one of Louisiana's most recognizable Democratic figures, having first served in Congress from 1993 to 1997 before returning to the U.S. House after winning election in 2024. During his first tenure, he became only the second Black member of Congress elected from Louisiana.

His departure creates a major opening in Louisiana's congressional delegation and leaves Democrats without an incumbent in a district that has been dramatically reshaped ahead of November's elections.