Troy Carter

Troy Carter
Born	Troy A. Carter, Sr. Template:Birth year and age
Birthplace	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Title	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Known for	U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district
Website	[[troycarter.house.gov troycarter.house.gov] Official site]

Troy A. Carter, Sr. (born 1963) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter represents a district centered on New Orleans, Louisiana, and surrounding areas. His career in public service has spanned multiple levels of government, from the Louisiana State Legislature to the United States Congress, where he has focused on issues including infrastructure, technology access, immigration policy, and federal appropriations for his district. Carter has positioned himself as a pragmatic Democrat willing to engage across party lines, as evidenced by his co-leadership of bipartisan congressional caucuses and his decision to attend joint sessions of Congress even when other members of his party have chosen to boycott.

Early Life

Troy A. Carter, Sr. was born in 1963 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in the New Orleans area, a city whose culture, challenges, and resilience would come to define much of his political career. New Orleans and its surrounding communities in southeastern Louisiana have long faced complex socioeconomic issues, including poverty, racial inequality, and vulnerability to natural disasters, all of which would later shape Carter's legislative priorities.

Carter's upbringing in New Orleans placed him within a community that was predominantly African American and deeply rooted in traditions of civic engagement, faith, and grassroots political activism. The political landscape of Louisiana's 2nd congressional district, which Carter would eventually come to represent, has historically been one of the most significant majority-minority districts in the Deep South.

Career

Early Political Career

Before entering the United States Congress, Troy Carter built an extensive career in Louisiana politics. He served in the Louisiana State Legislature and held other public offices that gave him deep familiarity with the policy needs of the New Orleans metropolitan area and the broader southeastern Louisiana region. His years of service at the state level established him as a figure in Democratic Party politics within Louisiana and provided the foundation for his eventual congressional campaign.

U.S. House of Representatives

Carter won a special election to represent Louisiana's 2nd congressional district and has since continued to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district encompasses New Orleans and portions of the surrounding region, making it one of the most culturally distinctive congressional districts in the United States.

Legislative Priorities and Appropriations

As a member of Congress, Carter has actively engaged with the federal appropriations process to direct funding toward the needs of his district. His office has solicited and submitted federal program and funding priority recommendations to the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. In early 2026, his office announced the opening of the FY27 appropriations request process, inviting constituents and stakeholders to submit recommendations for federal funding priorities. This process allows members of Congress to advocate for specific projects and programs that serve their districts, ranging from infrastructure improvements to community development initiatives.

Technology and Broadband Access

Carter has been a notable advocate for expanding broadband and wireless internet access. In December 2025, he announced the relaunch of the Bipartisan, Bicameral Wi-Fi Caucus, a congressional caucus dedicated to promoting policies that expand Wi-Fi connectivity across the United States. The caucus was relaunched in partnership with Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and other members of Congress, reflecting Carter's emphasis on bipartisan collaboration on technology policy.

The Wi-Fi Caucus is structured as both bipartisan and bicameral, meaning it includes members from both the Democratic and Republican parties and from both chambers of Congress—the House of Representatives and the Senate. Carter's co-chairmanship of the caucus underscores his interest in digital infrastructure as a tool for economic development and social equity, particularly in underserved communities such as those in parts of his New Orleans–based district where broadband access has historically lagged behind national averages.

Immigration and Law Enforcement Policy

Carter has been vocal on immigration enforcement policy, particularly as it affects his constituents in the New Orleans area. In December 2025, he issued a public statement regarding the expected deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol, and the National Guard to New Orleans. The statement reflected concerns about the impact of large-scale federal law enforcement operations on local communities, businesses, and immigrant populations in the district. Carter's response to the planned deployment highlighted tensions between federal immigration enforcement priorities and the interests of local residents and community organizations in a city with a significant immigrant population.

Governance and Institutional Norms

Carter has spoken publicly about the importance of governmental norms and the rule of law. In an op-ed published in NOLA.com, he argued that "when norms fail, laws must lead," articulating a position on the need for formal legal frameworks to protect democratic institutions when informal norms of governance are no longer sufficient. In the piece, Carter wrote: "Our norms are norms because we have respected them as" foundational elements of democratic governance, emphasizing that the erosion of unwritten rules necessitates stronger statutory protections.

This public commentary positioned Carter within a broader national conversation among Democratic lawmakers about institutional integrity, executive power, and the durability of democratic processes in the United States.

Bipartisanship and Congressional Attendance

Carter has demonstrated a willingness to engage with political opponents and to participate in congressional proceedings even when doing so has been contentious within his own party. In February 2026, as some Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives announced plans to boycott President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, Carter and fellow Louisiana Democrat Representative Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge chose to attend.

Carter invited one of his constituents, Mike Friedman, to join him as his guest at the State of the Union address, a tradition in which members of Congress bring individuals who represent issues or communities of importance to their districts. The decision to attend rather than boycott the address reflected Carter's approach to congressional participation, emphasizing presence and engagement over symbolic protest.

The decision by Louisiana's two Democratic House members to attend the address was reported as notable in the context of a broader Democratic debate over how to respond to the Trump administration. NOLA.com reported that Carter and Fields would not join the boycott, framing their attendance as a deliberate choice to represent their constituents at a major national event regardless of political disagreements with the sitting president.

Community Engagement and Public Statements

Carter has used his platform to acknowledge the contributions and passing of notable figures connected to his district and to the broader African American community. In February 2026, he released a statement on the passing of Dr. Norman C. Francis, a figure of significance in New Orleans and in the history of higher education in Louisiana. Dr. Francis was known for his long tenure as president of Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically Black university located in New Orleans, and Carter's statement reflected the deep ties between the congressman's office and the educational institutions of his district.

Also in February 2026, Carter released a statement on the passing of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., the civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and former presidential candidate. Carter's public acknowledgment of Jackson's legacy situated him within the tradition of African American political figures who have drawn on the civil rights movement as a touchstone for contemporary policy advocacy.

Personal Life

Troy A. Carter, Sr. is a resident of the New Orleans, Louisiana, area. The use of "Sr." in his name indicates that he has at least one son who shares his name. Carter has maintained deep connections to the New Orleans community throughout his career, and his public statements frequently reference the culture, history, and challenges of the city and its residents.

Carter identifies as a member of the Democratic Party and has represented a district that is one of the most reliably Democratic in Louisiana and in the Deep South more broadly. His political identity has been shaped by the intersection of race, class, and geography that characterizes New Orleans politics, and he has consistently emphasized constituent service and community engagement as central to his role in Congress.

Legacy

Troy Carter's career represents a continuation of the tradition of African American political leadership in New Orleans and in Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. The district has been represented by a succession of African American Democrats since the redistricting that followed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Carter's tenure reflects both the continuity and the evolution of that political lineage.

Carter's emphasis on bipartisan collaboration—exemplified by his co-leadership of the Wi-Fi Caucus with Republican senators and his decision to attend the 2026 State of the Union address despite a Democratic boycott—has defined his approach to congressional service. His advocacy for broadband expansion, federal appropriations for his district, and the protection of institutional norms has positioned him as a pragmatic legislator focused on tangible outcomes for his constituents.

His public commentary on the role of law in sustaining democratic governance, as articulated in his op-ed on norms and laws, contributes to an ongoing national discourse about the resilience of American political institutions. Carter's voice in this debate reflects the perspective of a representative whose district and constituents have a deep historical connection to struggles for political representation and civil rights.

As a serving member of Congress, Carter's full legacy remains in development. His record to date, however, reflects a commitment to the New Orleans community, to bipartisan legislative engagement, and to the use of federal resources and authority to address the needs of his constituents in Louisiana's 2nd congressional district.