BATON ROUGE — Former East Baton Rouge Metro Council member Chauna Banks and state Sen. Blake Miguez will meet in a December 12 runoff for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District after neither candidate won a majority in Tuesday’s election.
Unofficial returns reported by the Louisiana Secretary of State and cited by WAFB showed Banks with 50,878 votes and Miguez with 50,213. Both were reported at approximately 19 percent of the vote, with Banks leading by 665 votes in the reported count. The figures remain subject to the state’s normal canvassing and certification process.
The contest attracted 10 candidates: six Republicans, three Democrats and one Libertarian. The large field divided the vote enough to prevent a first-round winner under Louisiana’s open-primary rules. The two leading candidates now advance regardless of party affiliation.
The seat is open because Democratic U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields did not seek another term following the redrawing of Louisiana’s congressional boundaries earlier this year. The revised district has become a major focus of both parties, but Tuesday’s returns do not establish which candidate will win in December.
Banks previously served on the East Baton Rouge Metro Council. Miguez, a New Iberia Republican, represents Senate District 22 and formerly served in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Their political backgrounds and geographic bases will shape the final campaign, but the runoff electorate may differ substantially from Tuesday’s larger field.
The narrow gap between the two leading candidates is also a reminder that the initial vote is not a head-to-head test. Supporters of the eight eliminated candidates will have another choice to make, and turnout in a stand-alone December election could be different.
Voters will decide the seat on December 12. Until then, the key facts are that both candidates advanced, neither received a majority, and the election-night totals are unofficial.
Sources and verification
WAFB, Nov. 4 election report: https://www.wafb.com/2026/11/04/chauna-banks-blake-miguez-advance-runoff-louisianas-6th-congressional-district/
Louisiana Secretary of State election results: https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical
