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Ex-state lawmaker Ted James challenges Sharon Weston Broome in mayor-president's race
BATON ROUGE - Ted James, a former Louisiana lawmaker who joined the Biden administration two years ago as a regional head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced Thursday that he will run against Sharon Weston Broome for the position of Baton Rouge mayor-president.
James left local politics in 2022 to join the Small Business Administration as a Texas-based regional director. He had won election three times from state House District 101, which extends from Sherwood Forest northward to Monticello and westward to Merrydale. He defeated Tiffany Foxworth by a 3-to-2 margin in 2011 before being elected without opposition in 2015 and 2019.
He served as chairman of the Louisiana Black Legislative Caucus and resigned to oversee SBA programs in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
James also was previously the director of the Baton Rouge office of the Urban League of Louisiana.
Broome is seeking a third and final term. She is the first woman to serve as mayor-president, taking office seven years ago after serving as a state senator, state representative, and member of the Metro Council. In a statement, Broome's campaign said Baton Rouge had the strongest local economy in Louisiana and that she deserved re-election.
"Our re-election campaign is eager to discuss with voters the progress Mayor Broome has achieved over the past seven years," the campaign said. It also touted the voter-approved MovEBR program and efforts to control storm runoff.
"Mayor Broome has helped build a solid foundation for future growth in our parish and looks forward to highlighting her record while she continues to work everyday to make the parish safer and prosperous," her campaign office said.
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