Kip Holden

Last updated

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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baton Rouge, Louisiana</span> Capital city of Louisiana, United States

Baton Rouge is the capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it had a population of 227,470 as of 2020; it is the seat of Louisiana's most populous parish (county-equivalent), East Baton Rouge Parish, and the center of Louisiana's second-largest metropolitan area, Greater Baton Rouge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana</span> Parish in Louisiana, United States

East Baton Rouge Parish is the most populous parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its population was 456,781 at the 2020 census. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. East Baton Rouge Parish is located within the Greater Baton Rouge area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Baker (American politician)</span> American politician (born 1948)

Richard Hugh Baker is an American politician and lobbyist. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2008, representing the 6th District of Louisiana as a Republican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woody Jenkins</span> American politician

Louis Elwood Jenkins Jr., known as Woody Jenkins, is an American newspaper editor in Baton Rouge and Central City, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate in 1978, 1980, and 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Dardenne</span> 53rd Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana

John Leigh "Jay" Dardenne, Jr. is an American lawyer and politician from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as commissioner of administration for Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards. A Republican, Dardenne previously served as the 53rd lieutenant governor of his state from 2010 to 2016. Running as a Republican, he won a special election for lieutenant governor held in conjunction with the regular November 2, 2010 general election. At the time, Dardenne was Louisiana secretary of state. Formerly, Dardenne was a member of the Louisiana State Senate for the Baton Rouge suburbs, a position he filled from 1992 until his election as secretary of state on September 30, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 United States presidential election in Louisiana</span> Election in Louisiana

The 2004 United States presidential election in Louisiana took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose nine representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Weston Broome</span> Incumbent mayor-president of Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Sharon Weston Broome is the mayor-president of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She served in the Louisiana State Senate representing the 15th district from 2005 to 2016. She was elected mayor-president in a runoff election held on December 10, 2016. Broome is the first African-American woman to serve as mayor-president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Nungesser</span> 54th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana

William Harold Nungesser is an American politician serving as the 54th lieutenant governor of Louisiana since 2016. A member of the Republican Party, Nungesser is also the former president of the Plaquemines Parish Commission, having been re-elected to a second four-year term in the 2010 general election in which he topped two opponents with more than 71 percent of the vote. His second term as parish president began on January 1, 2011, and ended four years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election</span> State election in the United States

The 2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on November 21, 2015, to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Republican Governor Bobby Jindal was not eligible to run for re-election to a third term because of term limits established by the Louisiana Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elbert Guillory</span> American politician

Elbert Lee Guillory is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate. An American Republican, he represented District 24, including his native Opelousas, and several rural precincts, from May 2, 2009, when he won a special election, until January 11, 2016, when his full term to which he was elected in 2011 ended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in Louisiana</span> Election of John Neely Kennedy as US Senator.

The 2016 United States Senate election in Louisiana took place on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Louisiana, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election</span>

The 2015 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on October 24, 2015, to elect the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, with a runoff election held on November 21, 2015. Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne did not run for re-election to a second full term in office. He instead ran for governor. Billy Nungesser won the election defeating Kip Holden, despite a Democratic victory in the gubernatorial election, in which John Bel Edwards defeated David Vitter by a similar margin.

Rodnette Bethley Edwards, known as Ronnie Edwards, was an African-American Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 29 in West and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. She served for 44 days but did not actually assume the duties of her office because she was in the final stages of a two-year struggle with pancreatic cancer.

Edmond Dwayne Jordan is an American attorney and politician. He is a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 29. On May 14, 2016, he won a special election runoff to succeed fellow Democrat Ronnie Edwards.

Mack A. "Bodi" White, Jr. is an American politician from Louisiana who represented District 6 in the Louisiana State Senate from 2012 to 2024. A Republican, White previously served in the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 64 between 2004 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana's 15th State Senate district</span> American legislative district

Louisiana's 15th State Senate district is one of 39 districts in the Louisiana State Senate. It has been represented by Democrat Regina Barrow since 2016, succeeding fellow Democrat Sharon Weston Broome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Baton Rouge mayoral election</span>

The 2020 Baton Rouge mayoral election was held on November 3, 2020 and December 5, 2020 to elect the mayor-president of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Louisiana gubernatorial election</span>

The 2023 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on October 14, 2023 to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Governor John Bel Edwards was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office. This race was one of two Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2023 in a state that voted for Donald Trump in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Baton Rouge mayoral election</span>

The 2024 Baton Rouge mayoral election will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the mayor-president Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Sharon Weston Broome is seeking re-election to a third term.

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
Party political offices
Vacant
Title last held by
Caroline Fayard
Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
2015
Succeeded by
Willie Jones
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