Kip Holden

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Holden was elected mayor-president on November 3, 2004, when he unseated the Republican incumbent, Bobby Simpson of Baker. Holden was inaugurated on January 3, 2005.

Holden's election as the first African-American Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish was fostered through the support of his urban black base but also with substantial support from suburban whites, many being Republicans. Support from the latter group was buoyed by backing from Jim Bernhard, CEO of The Shaw Group, and several other figures in business and industry. The dissatisfaction with Mayor-President Simpson was demonstrated in dramatic fashion by the fact that President Bush received 54 percent of the parish vote in his re-election campaign, and then U.S. Representative Richard Hugh Baker received 69 percent. In the same election Holden matched Bush's 54 percent parishwide total.

Holden became a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, [4] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by Mayors Michael Bloomberg of New York City and Thomas Menino of Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2008, Holden was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield. [5]

2008 reelection

In 2008, Holden was elected with 71% of the vote.

2012 reelection

Holden handily won reelection in the nonpartisan blanket primary held in conjunction with the national election on November 6, 2012. One of his opponents, Republican J. Michael "Mike" Walker Sr., a member of the Metro Council, questioned Holden and the city-parish for having provided security services for Louis Farrakhan when the Nation of Islam spokesman addressed a group on October 3 at Southern University. Walker's advertisement includes a video of Farrakhan thanking Holden and the police chief for security services and Farrakhan's escort to Baton Rouge from the airport in New Orleans. [6]

With 115,305 votes (60 percent), Holden defeated three opponents. Walker finished second with 65,972 ballots (34.3 percent). Two Independents held the remaining 5.7 percent of the vote. [7]

Efforts at higher office

2015 lieutenant gubernatorial campaign

Holden led the four-candidate field in the primary with 360,679 votes (33.3 percent), qualifying him to face Nungesser in a runoff, who finished second in the primary with 324,654 votes (30 percent). In a strong third-place was John Young, who polled 313,183 votes (28.9 percent). Departing State Senator Elbert Guillory ran last with 85,460 votes (7.9 percent). [8] In the second round of balloting, Nungesser finished with 628,864 votes (55.4 percent) to Holden's 506,578 (44.6 percent). Holden nevertheless was an easy winner in populous Orleans and East Baton Rouge parishes. [9]

2016 congressional campaign

In 2016, Holden, who was term-limited as Mayor-President in Baton Rouge, ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House to represent Louisiana's 2nd congressional district held by fellow Democrat Cedric Richmond. The district has long been based in New Orleans, but had been redrawn after the 2010 census to include a slice of western Baton Rouge, including most of the capital's black precincts.

Holden finished with only 20 percent of the ballots cast to Richmond's 70 percent. [10] Sharon Weston Broome, who had succeeded Holden in the state Senate, also succeeded him as Mayor-President after her 52-48 percent victory over Republican state Senator Bodi White in the runoff election held on December 10, 2016. [11]

Notes

  1. The office of "Mayor-President" in the Baton Rouge area is an uncommon position in municipal governments that consolidates the executive offices of "Mayor of Baton Rouge" and "President of East Baton Rouge Parish". Though the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish have a consolidated government, this differs from a traditional consolidated city-county government, as the cities of Zachary, Baker, and Central operate their own individual city governments within East Baton Rouge Parish.

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References

  1. "Baton Rouge elects Sharon Weston Broome to heal divided parish".
  2. "Membership of the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2016" (PDF). legis.state.la.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  3. "Membership of the Louisiana State Senate, 1880-2012" (PDF). legis.state.la.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  4. "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members". Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved on June 18, 2007
  5. "Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame". cityofwinnfield.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  6. "Faimon Roberts, III, "Holden denounces ad"". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  7. "Louisiana election returns, November 6, 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  8. "Results for Election Date: 10/24/2015". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  9. "Results for Election Date: 11/21/2015". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  10. "Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  11. "Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
Kip Holden
Kip.jpg
Mayor-President of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish [fn 1]
In office
January 3, 2005 December 31, 2016
Louisiana House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 63rd district

1988–2002
Succeeded by
Avon R. Honey
Louisiana State Senate
Preceded by
Wilson Fields
Member of the Louisiana Senate
from the 15th district

2002–2004
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor-President of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish
2005–2016
Succeeded by