After a protracted court battle that produced several attempts at congressional redistricting, , D-Baton Rouge, won the race to represent Louisiana's 6th Congressional District in Washington. He beat four challengers to win the Nov. 5 primary with 50.8% of the vote.
It's fitting that Fields' return to Congress resulted from a court fight over redistricting. His previous tenure there, from 1993-97, ended because the courts threw out his "zigzag" district. Now, he's back in Congress representing a diagonal slice of Louisiana that runs from East Baton Rouge Parish to Caddo Parish.
But how long he'll stay there remains a matter of litigation — the U.S. Supreme Court, to be exact.
The day before Election Day, the high court said it will consider a challenge to Louisiana's new majority-Black 6th Congressional District.
"The same way I was taken out is the same way I'm starting this time," Fields told me.
Fields was 30 years old when he first won a congressional seat in 1992. He was 31 when he took the oath of office.
He was 61 when he did that a second time. He'll be 62 when he takes the oath of office on Jan. 3.
At some point after he begins working with his new congressional staff, attorneys will defend the district map before the nation's highest court. "Let the lawyers focus on the law and let's focus on the people in the district," is what Fields said he'll tell his congressional staff.
For the next few weeks, Fields will continue to chair the Louisiana Senate & Governmental Affairs Committee — a powerful post for a Democrat in a supermajority GOP state Senate. That takes some wheeling and dealing, and lots of respect across the proverbial political aisle.
Fields has been a fixture in Louisiana politics since 1987, when he first won a seat in the Louisiana Senate. He served there from 1988 to 1993, leaving after he went to Congress for the first time. After his congressional district was taken away by the courts, he regained his state Senate seat, serving from 1997 to 2008, and again since 2020.
Even when not in office, Cleo Fields been a facilitator, strategist and power broker in local and state politics. As Louisiana's second Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives — Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans has represented the 2nd District since 2021 — Fields is poised to continue wielding significant influence.
No matter what happens when the U.S. Supreme Court delivers its Louisiana redistricting decision, Fields is guaranteed a two-year term because voters in the existing district made that choice. He's not guaranteed a second term, or more, unless the high court rules in his favor — and in favor of the 33% of Louisiana's population who are African Americans.
When Fields was last in Congress, America had a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, a Democratic U.S. Senate and a Democratic U.S. House of Representatives. This time, we'll have a Republican president, Donald Trump, a Republican Senate and a very closely divided House.Â
One thing is certain: Fields will make the most of the situation. The last time he was a first-term congressman, he worked with Bill and Hillary Clinton and the Congressional Black Caucus. This time, he's far more engaged with the national Democratic Party, still has friends in the Black Caucus — and has Republican friends in Congress.
Fields is accustomed to filling leadership roles in a legislative body. It's no surprise, then, that he aims to land on the powerful . That's a difficult "get" for a freshman, even one who's been there before.
It's not out of the realm of possibility, though. In January, Fields will enter Congress with four years of congressional experience.
He's waiting to see which party will control the House, while also keeping his eyes on the agriculture, energy and infrastructure committees. Each deals with issues of great importance to his district.
Meanwhile, a few days ago, the Louisiana Legislature began a 20-day special tax reform session ordered by Gov. Jeff Landry. Fields' congressional orientation is Nov. 12-22 — in the middle of crucial tax reform votes.Â
"I'll do what I can to get back for key votes," he said.
Fields will likely resign his legislative seat on Dec. 31, days before his congressional swearing in. A special election to succeed him is expected in March. As candidates line up to succeed him, you can bet he'll have something to say — when he feels he can make the biggest impact.
