Joseph Cao Defeated: Cedric Richmond Wins Louisiana House Seat

NEW ORLEANS — Republican U.S. Rep. Joseph Cao has lost the election in his New Orleans-area district, a rare seat that Democrats were able to snatch from the GOP.

Democratic state Rep. Cedric Richmond won the 2nd District seat. With 57 percent of precincts reporting, Richmond had 63 percent of the vote to Cao's 35 percent.

Cao cast himself as a bipartisan friend of Democratic President Barack Obama. But votes against two key Obama initiatives, the economic stimulus and health care overhaul, were among Richmond's attack points in a mostly Democratic district that supported Obama for president.

Cao won the district two years ago in an election often cast as a fluke. Few voters turned out, and the election was delayed by hurricanes in a year that incumbent William Jefferson was under indictment.

 

 

Comments

[RRRead]

07:23 PM on 11/07/2010

Cao was right to vote against the Health Care Reform that finally passed in Congress. Remember, he voted for the first version of the reform, which would have given us universal health care. But he chose not to vote for the water down version that the senate passed.

[brt929]

09:06 AM on 11/07/2010

This is a surprise? To who?

Maybe if Cao were an Independent, and not a lock step Republican, he might have won a second term.

[GorgyPorgy]

10:30 PM on 11/03/2010

This district is the same district that elected "Dollar" Bill Jefferson to 10 terms. Dollar Bill was convicted of embezzlement. His brother and 2 sisters were also convicted of stealing from non profits, bribery, and embezzlement.
Now the voters in this district will get Cedric Richmond; a prodigy of Bill Jefferson.

[FR]

03:22 PM on 11/06/2010

Speak English much?
Check what the word "prodigy" actually means, because your posts have been prodigiously silly. That's when they're not offensive.

[Duppy]

07:43 PM on 11/03/2010

Good. Kick him to the curb !

[SoCal John]

07:18 PM on 11/03/2010

This is a perfect example of the mood of America. This is why I look so forward to the next two years. As much as people want to say it was a referendum on President Obama, it really was exactly what happened in the 2006 and 2008 elections, people want change. They want the person sent to Washington to represent them, not fall in line with the party!

[progressivestance84]

06:40 PM on 11/03/2010

I guess they decided to stop having a Cao. BAZING!!!

[JustJoy7]

05:30 PM on 11/03/2010

Cao did a good and honest thing, but after doing it, he allowed the heavy handed leaders to whip him back in line. He lost his courage and he lost reelection.

[Southern Atheist]

03:57 PM on 11/03/2010

Cao was an honest man but I couldn't vote for him because of his politically right leanings. Richmond was a crooked man and I didn't vote for him because of his crookedness. So I didn't vote on that seat. I voted on everything else. What can you do?

[WhipperSnapped]

05:08 PM on 11/03/2010

Vote for the best man, not YOUR self-interests, so that the entire State benefits.

stop being selfish, e.g., grow up.

[ModerateVoiceofReason]

05:14 PM on 11/03/2010

Southern Athiest's point is that neither man was worthy of his vote. I agree with that type of sentiment. Somebody was going to be elected anyway, why should he be a party to what he felt was a farce?
The electorate should not have to settle for "the lesser of two evils."
The right to vote is also the right to not vote.

[ModerateVoiceofReason]

05:15 PM on 11/03/2010

You mean i.e., grow up
e.g. means example given or for example.
i.e. loosely translates to "that is to say."

[SFkid]

03:34 PM on 11/03/2010

Should have listened to your constituents Cao. You blew it,but thanks for the seat ;)

[man4ourseason]

03:29 PM on 11/03/2010

I WONDER WHEN THE DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO LEARN THEY NEED A P.R. FIRM TO GET THEIR MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE. IF PEOPLE KNEW HOW MUCH THE H/C BILL HELPS THEM, THEY WOULD BE FIGHTING TO KEEP IT.

[LeftLeanWing]

03:52 PM on 11/03/2010

in spite of ALL CAPS....

I agree
The P R Firms for the RNC post articles on HuffPost all the time.

Fanned #126

[man4ourseason]

03:27 PM on 11/03/2010

OBAMAS ONLY OPTION. HE CONTROLS FOREIGN POLICY. START A TRADE WAR WITH CHINA AND START MAKING EVERYTHING HERE AGAIN. JOBS FOR EVERYONE.

[WhipperSnapped]

02:27 PM on 11/03/2010

A horrible day for Louisiana.

The very best of America, a truly honest man of sincerity and integrity, replaced by a Dollar Bill Jefferson crony and racist.

[DesertDavey]

05:26 PM on 11/03/2010

Oh, come on. As a moderate myself, I am always sad to see a moderate lose an election . . . and Cao was my kind of moderate. But the fact is that he voted against two high-profile bills that his constituents supported. So he lost. Just like so many other Congressmen (Dems) who voted FOR those same two bills, and lost their re-election last night because their constiuents opposed the bills. Were those also examples of a "horrible day" for America?

[marignymitch]

02:23 PM on 11/03/2010

Cao is a good man who made the fatal mistake of voting lockstep with his Republican overlords. Health care reform was vitally important in his mostly Democratic district, yet he opposed it. His chance of re-election instantly punged from unlikely to zero.

I don't agree with Cao's politics but admire his character, and voted for him Tuedsay.

[WhipperSnapped]

02:30 PM on 11/03/2010

As did I!

His concession speech last night was the closest we will ever hear to "Mr. Smith Goes (Went) To Washington".

A rarity in politics, a man who worked ONLY from integrity.

A man elected when partisan politics didn't exist.

Obama, you did LA wrong by making commercials endorsing a corrupt ignorant Bill Jefferson crony. YOu admire and respected Mr. Cao, you sold us out.

[SFkid]

03:36 PM on 11/03/2010

Your gonna blame Obama for how your residents voted? Thats silly.

[latola]

12:40 PM on 11/03/2010

As a New Orleanean, I can tell you that Cao was well liked. This Democratic town is supportive of anyone who is good and who cares about them. But, Cao lost this district's support when he ultimately voted against health care reform, something the people of New Orleans wanted badly. He put his own views about abortion above the needs of his people and he paid dearly.

I'm sure he's content with the man he is, and he should be. But, as a Congressional representative, he let us down when we needed him most.

[ArkayMI]

12:46 PM on 11/03/2010

Fanned for polite disagreement with civility and understanding, a rare commodity nowadays.

[WhipperSnapped]

02:32 PM on 11/03/2010

Cao read the Health Care bil and his integrity wouldn't let him pass such slipshop mess.

[Gronkie]

10:39 PM on 11/03/2010

It could have been the best piece of legislation ever introduced and he would have voted against it. His GOP overlords wouldn't have let him vote for it.

[FR]

03:28 PM on 11/06/2010

Actually, can the rubbish and use your memory -- or the news archives.
Cao VOTED FOR the bill the first time, the lone R to do so. Then the party apparatchiks got to him.

Cao is a fine and decent man who tried to do the right thing most of the time. He threw his lot in with the Rs because he is traditional and because he is pro-life. I'm not sure he was on board with the wholesale race-baiting of the GOP campaign.

Bottom line, he ended up NOT representing his district.

[Ladyrantsalot]

12:26 PM on 11/03/2010

He represented the rich man's politics in a poor man's district. It was sort of inevitable.

[WhipperSnapped]

02:32 PM on 11/03/2010

Untrue