Cedric Richmond
It’s a long-established storyline of the 2010 Congressional elections that national Democrats see U.S. Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao as one of the most vulnerable Republican seats in Congress, and last week they chose state Rep. Cedric Richmond as their candidate to do so.
On Friday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Richmond’s selection into the “Red to Blue” program, which highlights the challengers they believe have the best chances of winning so that Democratic donors around the country can channel their donations into competitive races. The committee noted Richmond’s “strong early fundraising” in their announcement.
“Cedric Richmond has come out of the gate strong and built a lot of early excitement for his campaign to put this seat in the hands of someone who reflects this district and supports President Obama,” committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen said in the announcement. “Red to Blue will give him the financial and structural edge he needs to remain on the road to victory in November and ensure the people of this New Orleans based district are represented by someone who shares their values.”
Richmond must first get through a four-way Democratic primary Aug. 28 in which his best-funded opponent is fellow state Rep. Juan LaFonta. In addition to a strong fundraising lead, Richmond had already consolidated the support of a number of local and national Democrats, including state Reps. Neil Abramson, Walt Leger, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.).
Richmond is the 27th candidate identified for the Red to Blue list in this cycle.
