BATON ROUGE — The race for mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish began to take shape for real Wednesday when incumbent Sharon Weston Broome and former Biden Administration official Ted James filed paperwork to enter the contest.

Qualifying for local, state and federal offices opened Wednesday across Louisiana, and closes Friday. Aside from the presidential election, the Baton Rouge mayor's race plus two U.S. House races top the ballot locally.

Broome, seeking her third term, and James, who recently left a position with the U.S. Small Business Administration, are former state lawmakers. Both filed their entry papers at the Clerk of Court's office.

The Secretary of State's office handles registration for federal and state offices. There, state Sen. Cleo Fields filed paperwork to run in a newly drawn 6th Congressional District. The U.S. Supreme Court directed the state to use the map despite its being considered an unconstitutional gerrymander. Louisiana is under ordered to draw a new map for 2026.

Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., saw her 5th District expand into the Baton Rouge area when lawmakers drew a new map in January. She is expected to file for re-election Thursday.