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Cedric Richmond

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Cedric Richmond
Official portrait, 2011
Director of the Office of Public Engagement
In office
January 20, 2021 – May 18, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyAdrian Saenz
Preceded byTimothy Pataki
Succeeded byKeisha Lance Bottoms
Senior Advisor to the President
In office
January 20, 2021 – May 18, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJared Kushner
Stephen Miller
Ivanka Trump
Succeeded byJulie Rodriguez
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
In office
January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byG. K. Butterfield
Succeeded byKaren Bass
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 15, 2021
Preceded byJoseph Cao
Succeeded byTroy Carter
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 101st district
In office
January 6, 2000 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byNaomi White Farve
Succeeded byWesley Bishop
Personal details
Born
Cedric Levan Richmond

(1973-09-13) September 13, 1973 (age 51)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Raquel Greenup
(m. 2015)
[3]
Children1
EducationMorehouse College (BA)
Tulane University (JD)

Cedric Levan Richmond (born September 13, 1973)[4] is an American attorney, politician, and political advisor who is serving as senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee. Richmond was previously a senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in the Biden administration. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district from 2011 to 2021. His district included most of New Orleans.

From 2017 to 2019,[5] Richmond chaired the Congressional Black Caucus.[6][7] Beginning with his third term, he was the only Louisiana Democrat serving in either chamber of Congress. He represented New Orleans to the Louisiana State House from 2000 to 2011. In 2019, he was named the first national co-chair of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.[8] On September 5, 2020, he was named a co-chair of Biden's presidential transition.[9][10] On November 17, 2020, Richmond announced he would leave Congress in January 2021 to serve as Senior Advisor to the President and director of the Office of Public Liaison, which Biden renamed the White House Office of Public Engagement.[11][12][13]

Early life and education

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Richmond was born in New Orleans in 1973 and raised in New Orleans East, where he attended public schools. His father died when he was seven years old. His mother was a public school teacher and small business owner. Richmond graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Morehouse College, and a Juris Doctor from Tulane School of Law. He also completed an executive program at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.[14] While at Morehouse, Richmond played college baseball as a pitcher for the Morehouse Maroon Tigers in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.[15]

Louisiana legislature

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Senior FEMA leaders (left to right) Louisiana Recovery Office Deputy Director of Programs Andre Cadogan, LRO Acting Executive Director Joe Threat and Region 6 Administrator Tony Russell recently met with Louisiana State Representative Cedric Richmond, Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Deputy Director Mark Riley and GOHSEP Assistant Deputy Director for Disaster Recovery Mark DeBosier[16]

Richmond was elected and served as the Louisiana State Representative for the 101st district (Orleans Parish) from 2000 to 2011.[17] He was elected shortly after his 27th birthday and was one of the youngest legislators ever to serve in Louisiana when he took office. He served as the Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary and a member of the Ways and Means, House Executive, and Legislative Audit Advisory committees.[18]

U.S. House of Representatives

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In 2010, Richmond was elected to the US House of Representatives from Louisiana's 2nd congressional district for the first time. He took office in 2011. He was reelected in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020.

On June 9, 2014, Richmond introduced the Honor Flight Act (H.R. 4812; 113th Congress), a bill that would direct the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to establish a process for providing expedited and dignified passenger screening services for veterans traveling on an Honor Flight to visit war memorials that had been built to honor their service.[19]

That year Richmond defended his Republican colleague Vance McAllister, who had become embroiled in an alleged adultery scandal. It was a rare across-the-aisle gesture. Richmond said that he associated the controversy around McAllister with "gotcha moments" in which the "two parties in this country have gone overboard...and taken joy in the pain of their supposed opponents".[20]

Richmond was one of a few Democrats who voted to authorize the Keystone XL pipeline.[21] He is the fifth-biggest recipient of money from fossil fuel donors among House Democrats. The League of Conservation Voters gave him one of the lowest ratings for any Democrat in Congress.[22]

Richmond has been active in the Congressional Black Caucus, made up of African-American legislators who work together to have their views heard. On November 30, 2016, he was elected chair of the caucus for the 115th United States Congress.[23]

On December 18, 2019, Richmond voted to impeach President Donald Trump.[24]

Elections

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2008

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Richmond came in third place in the seven-candidate primary election for the Democratic nomination for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district, behind U.S. Representative William J. Jefferson and television newscaster Helena Moreno. During a primary debate, Richmond accused Moreno of drug use, and she attacked him based on his disqualification from the 2005 New Orleans City Council "D" district election.[25]

Later in 2008, the Louisiana Supreme Court suspended Richmond's law license for six months in a 5–2 decision. It found that he had falsified a sworn statement claiming more than two years of residency in New Orleans's "D" district in order to be eligible for the district's city council seat.[26]

2010

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Richmond challenged Republican incumbent Anh “Joseph” Cao for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. Richmond was the first candidate in the 2010 elections to have President Barack Obama appear in a television ad on his behalf.[27]

Most analysts considered Richmond a strong favorite to retake this seat for the Democrats, even in what was forecast to be a Republican year nationally. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+25, the 2nd was the most Democratic district in the country to be represented by a Republican. In 2008 Obama had carried it with 74% of the vote, his fifth-best performance in a Southern district and his 35th best nationally.

Richmond won the November 2 election with 65% of the vote.[28]

2012

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2020

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Richmond's campaign received almost $113,000 from the oil and gas sector, which donated more than any other sector to his campaign.[21] He was reelected with 63.6% of the vote.

Committee assignments

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Congressional caucuses

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Controversies

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In January 2017, Richmond became involved in an argument with Republican lawmakers over whether a particular painting should continue to hang in the Capitol. The painting in question shows police officers apprehending suspects, and the police are depicted as pigs. It was painted by someone from Richmond's district who had won a local award, and Republicans objected to it.[30] Richmond said that escalating the issue might "open up Pandora's Box" because there are other paintings that some people might also find offensive.[31]

In March 2017, Richmond was criticized for making a crude joke about a controversial photograph of Kellyanne Conway kneeling on the Oval Office couch. Richmond appeared to compare Conway to Monica Lewinsky, saying, "I really just want to know what was going on there, because she really looked kind of familiar there in that position there. But don't answer. And I don't want you to refer back to the '90s." Richmond later said the joke was not meant to be sexual.[32] "Since some people have interpreted my joke to mean something that it didn't I think it is important to clarify what I meant", he said in a statement. "Where I grew up saying that someone is looking or acting 'familiar' simply means that they are behaving too comfortably."[32]

Congressional Baseball Game

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From left, Senator Mark Warner, Senator Michael Bennet, Senator Tom Udall, Former NBA player Muggsy Bogues, Congressman Joseph Crowley and Congressman Richmond.

Richmond played in the annual Congressional Baseball Game. He was the starting Democratic pitcher for each of the five years since his election and the Democrats won each game. He had a 2.85 earned run average, 1.67 walks plus hits per inning pitched and 45 strikeouts in his 27 innings pitched in that span. In 2016 Republican team manager Joe Barton called him the best player to ever participate in the game.[33] Richmond lost his first game in 2016, a day after participating through the night in the 2016 United States House of Representatives sit-in.[15]

Biden administration

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Richmond with Vice President Kamala Harris and House Whip Jim Clyburn meet in the West Wing, February 2021

Richmond was a national co-chair of the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.[34] On November 17, 2020, he announced that he would join the Biden administration as Senior Advisor to the President and director of the White House Office of Public Liaison.[11][12] His resignation became official on January 15, 2021.[35] His departure triggered a 2021 special election.[36] Justice Democrats criticized Richmond's appointment, alleging that he was one of the top Democratic recipients of donations from the fossil fuel industry.[37]

In an interview before Biden's swearing-in, Richmond noted his potential work in reaching out to conservatives in different parts of the country.[38] Richmond was reportedly working with the Biden administration on addressing reparations for slavery.[39]

Richmond resigned from the White House on May 18, 2022, for a job at the Democratic National Committee.[40][41]

Electoral history

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U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District November Election, 2016[42]

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Kenneth Cutno Democratic 28,855 (10%) Defeated
Melvin Holden Democratic 57,125 (20%) Defeated
Cedric Richmond Democratic 198,289 (70%) Won

U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District-November Election, 2014[42]

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
David Brooks No Party 16,327 (7%) Defeated
Samuel Davenport Libertarian 15,237 (7%) Defeated
Gary Landrieu Democratic 37,805 (17%) Defeated
Cedric Richmond Democratic 152,201 (69%) Won

U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District-November Election, 2012[42]

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Josue Larose Republican 11,345 (4%) Defeated
Caleb Trotter Libertarian 6,791 (2%) Defeated
Dwayne Bailey Republican 38,801 (14%) Defeated
Gary Landrieu Democratic 71,916 (25%) Defeated
Cedric Richmond Democratic 158,501 (55%) Won

U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District-Democratic Party, 2010[43] August 28, 2010

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Eugene Green Democratic 2,497 (10%) Defeated
Gary Johnson Democratic 1,911 (8%) Defeated
Juan LaFonta Democratic 5,166 (21%) Defeated
Cedric Richmond Democratic 14,622 (60%) Won

U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District-Democratic Party, 2008[43]

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, November 2, 2004

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
James Carter Democratic 9,286 (13%) Defeated
Troy "C" Carter Democratic 5,797 (8%) Defeated
William J. Jefferson Democratic 17,510 (25%) Run-off
Byron L. Lee Democratic 8,979 (13%) Defeated
Helena Moreno Democratic 13,795 (20%) Run-off
Cedric Richmond Democratic 12,095 (17%) Defeated
Kenya J. H. Smith Democratic 1,749 (3%) Defeated

Louisiana State Representative, 101st District, 2007[43]

October 20, 2007

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Cedric L. Richmond Democratic 2,944 (73%) Elected
Roland Barthe Democratic 1,107 (27%) Defeated

Louisiana State Representative, 101st District, 2003[43]

October 4, 2003

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Cedric Richmond Democratic 6,943 (78%) Elected
Willie Jones Jr. Democratic 1,906 (22%) Defeated

Louisiana State Representative, 101st District, 1999[43]

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 23, 1999

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Wesley T. Bishop Democratic 1,241 (14%) Defeated
Naomi White Farve Democratic 1,835 (21%) Defeated
Cedric Richmond Democratic 3,480 (40%) Run-off
Eddie Scott Democratic 2,119 (24%) Run-off

Second Ballot, November 20, 1999

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Cedric Richmond Democratic 3,980 (63%) Elected
Eddie Scott Democratic 2,361 (37%) Defeated

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Served from January 20, 2021, to August 12, 2021; Dunn's temporary position concluded.[1] She returned on May 5, 2022, in the midst of the upcoming midterm elections.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Top Biden adviser Anita Dunn leaves White House", Politico, August 12, 2021, retrieved July 26, 2022
  2. ^ "Top Biden Adviser Anita Dunn to return to White House". CBS News. April 25, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  3. ^ Alpert, Bruce (May 23, 2015). "Scalise meets A-Rod, Richmond gets hitched and GOP opposes EPA water rule - On the Hill". Times-Picayune.
  4. ^ "Elections 2012 - AP Election Guide : NPR". Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  5. ^ "Congressional Black Caucus Chair Cedric Richmond Says Goodbye to Seat as he Prepares to Pass "Chair" to Rep. Karen Bass". January 2, 2019. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  6. ^ "Cedric Richmond sworn in as chairman of Congressional Black Caucus". Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  8. ^ Glueck, Katie (May 31, 2019). "Cedric Richmond, Biden's New Co-Chairman, Sees a Path to the Nomination in the South". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Cindy McCain Joins Biden-Harris Transition Team's Advisory Board". President-Elect Joe Biden. September 28, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Biden Transition Organization - Staff, Advisors". www.democracyinaction.us. November 9, 2017. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Mackel, Travers (November 17, 2020). "Cedric Richmond officially announces that he will vacate congressional seat for role with Biden administration". WDSU News. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Jansen, Bart (November 17, 2020). "Joe Biden names 9 top White House appointees, including Rep. Cedric Richmond and campaign manager O'Malley Dillon". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  13. ^ Shear, Michael; Glueck, Katie (November 17, 2020). "Biden to Name Campaign Manager, Congressional Ally and Close Friend to Key Staff Jobs". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  14. ^ "Meet Cedric Richmond | Cedric Richmond for Congress - Louisiana 2nd District". Cedricrichmond.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Kane, Paul (June 14, 2017). "Analysis | Congressional ballgame builds bipartisan friendship. Exhibit A: Steve Scalise and Cedric Richmond". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  16. ^ "File:FEMA - 45825 - Russell Richmond Meeting.jpg - Wikipedia". commons.wikimedia.org. December 20, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  17. ^ "Voters pick Bishop, Mills in legis races". Wbrz.com. January 23, 2011. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  18. ^ "About Cedric". cedricrichmond.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  19. ^ "H.R. 4812 - Summary". United States Congress. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  20. ^ Alpert, Bruce (April 11, 2014). "Richmond reaches out to McAllister: He admonishes both parties". Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. A3. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  21. ^ a b Frazin, Rachel (November 17, 2020). "Progressive group slams Biden White House pick over tie to fossil fuel industry". The Hill. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  22. ^ Powell, Tori B. (November 17, 2020). "Biden Appoints Fossil Fuel Ally as His Climate Movement Liaison". Daily Beast. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  23. ^ Rainey, Richard (November 30, 2016). "Cedric Richmond elected chair of Congressional Black Caucus". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  24. ^ "WHIP COUNT: Here's which members of the House voted for and against impeaching Trump". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  25. ^ Donze, Frank (September 26, 2008). "Moreno, Richmond trade barbs at 2nd District talk". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  26. ^ Donze, Frank (December 2, 2008). "State Rep. Cedric Richmond's law license suspended". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  27. ^ Burns, Alexander (October 4, 2010). "La.'s Richmond gets Obama's 1st ad". Politico. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  28. ^ Krupa, Michelle; Donze, Frank (November 2, 2010). "Cedric Richmond wins 2nd District House race; Joseph Cao concedes". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  29. ^ "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  30. ^ Marcos, Cristina (January 13, 2017). "Democrat re-hangs painting depicting cops as pigs". The Hill. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017. The painting has inflamed tensions on Capitol Hill between the two parties. The Hill asked Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, if the painting would need someone to monitor it around the clock to prevent further removals. "No," Richmond replied. "We might just have to kick somebody's ass and stop them, though."
  31. ^ "CBC: 'We may just have to kick somebody's ass' over painting removal". Politico. January 10, 2017. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017. Richmond said any escalation of the issue might "open up Pandora's Box." "I'm looking at some paintings that people could probably find some offense to," he said. "So you just open up Pandora's Box to, I think, anarchy when it comes to the art around this building." "I think it would be a bad move. I think politically it would be an awful move to do that," he continued.
  32. ^ a b Heil, Emily. "Rep. Cedric Richmond made an awkward joke about Kellyanne Conway, but he says it wasn't meant to be sexual". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  33. ^ Gangitano, Alex (June 23, 2016). "Cedric Richmond: Congressional Baseball's Best Player Ever?". Roll Call. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  34. ^ Wise, Alana; Khalid, Asma (November 17, 2020). "Biden Taps Several Senior Campaign Aides For Key White House Positions". NPR. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  35. ^ "Special Election - U.S. House of Representatives Second Congressional District" (PDF). State of Louisiana. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  36. ^ "Executive Proclamation Number 3" (PDF). louisiana.gov. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  37. ^ "Progressive group Justice Democrats criticizes Biden appointments". thehill.com/. November 17, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  38. ^ "Incoming White House Public Engagement Director On His Plans For The Job". NPR.org. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  39. ^ "Biden adviser Cedric Richmond sees first-term progress on reparations". news.yahoo.com.
  40. ^ Top Biden adviser and former congressman resigns from White House gazette.com Archived May 26, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  41. ^ "Former Atlanta Mayor Bottoms joining Biden White House". Reuters. June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  42. ^ a b c "Louisiana Secretary of State - Live Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  43. ^ a b c d e "Elections Division". Louisiana Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 17, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
[edit]
Louisiana House of Representatives
Preceded by
Naomi White Farve
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 101st district

2000–2011
Succeeded by
Wesley Bishop
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana's 2nd congressional district

2011–2021
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
2017–2019
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded byas House Democratic Senior Chief Deputy Whip House Democratic Assistant to the Majority Whip
2019–2021
Served alongside: John Lewis, Jan Schakowsky (Senior Chief Deputy Whips)
Position abolished
Political offices
Preceded by Director of the Office of Public Engagement
2021–2022
Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative
Succeeded byas Former US Representative