Steve Carter (Louisiana politician)

Stephen Frank "Steve" Carter​

* * *

Louisiana State Representative for
District 68 (East Baton Rouge Parish)​

In office
January 14, 2008​ - ​January 13, 2020
Preceded by  |  William Daniel​
Succeeded by  |  Scott McKnight

* * *

Born  |  October 29, 1942​
Baton Rouge
Louisiana, USA​
Died  |  January 26, 2021 (aged 77)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Death cause: Coronavirus

Nationality  |  American​
Political party  |  Republican​
Spouse(s)  |  Gloria Marjorie Solomon Carter​
Children  |  Solomon Stephen Carter​

Doris Amelia Carter Hunt​

Residence  |  Baton Rouge, Louisiana​
Alma mater |  Louisiana State University​
Occupation  |  Retired tennis coach​
Religion  |  Presbyterian

Stephen Frank Carter, known as Steve Carter (October 29, 1942 - January 26, 2021), was a tennis coach from the capital city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served from 2008 to 2020 as a Republican state representative for District 68 in East Baton Rouge Parish.​[1]

A Baton Rouge native, Carter graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University. He was a Presbyterian. Carter and his wife, the former Gloria Marjorie Solomon, had two children, Solomon Stephen Carter and Doris Amelia Carter Hunt.[2] Carter is a former tennis coach and assistant athletic director at LSU. Many university employees reside in District 68.[3]​

Three Republicans entered the House District 68 race in 2007 to succeed the Democrat-turned-Republican incumbent William Daniel, a petroleum engineer. Kyle Ardoin, a Republican-turned-Democrat-returned-Republican who was elected Louisiana Secretary of State in 2018, led the 2007 legislative vote with 5,531 ballots (41 percent) to Carter's 5,242 (38.9 percent). The remaining 2,705 votes (20 percent) were received by Jay Lyles.[4] In the second balloting on November 17, which had a lower turnout because of the lack of a gubernatorial contest, Carter prevailed by 87 votes, 4,967 (50.4 percent) to Ardoin's 4,880 (49.6 percent).[5]​

In the House, Carter served on these committees: (1) Education, (2) Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs, (3) Ways and Means, and (4) Joint House and Senate Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay.[6] Prior to his election to the House, Carter had not previously sought office.

Carter was unopposed for his second term in the legislature in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011.​ He won his third term outright in the October 24, 2015 primary with 6,095 votes (54.7 percent).​ Carter was term-limited in the 2019 legislative elections. At first, Carter appeared to have been narrowly defeated on October 12, 2019, in his bid for the District 16 seat in the Louisiana State Senate vacated by Dan Claitor. Fellow Republican state Representative Franklin Foil finished second in the primary to the Democrat Beverly Brooks Thompson. With 12,533 votes (30 percent), Foil led Carter by only 8 votes to gain the runoff berth. Thompson led in the primary with 14,216 votes (34 percent).[7]

A retabulation concluded that Carter and Foil tied, but thereafter Foil was credited with four more votes than Carter. Foil then defeated the Democrat Beverly Brooks Thompson in the November 16 runoff election.[8][9]

In 2020, Carter sought the mayor-presidency of Baton Rouge and finished with 40,757 votes (20 percent), still enough to enter the December 5 runoff with the African-American Democrat incumbent, Sharon Weston Broome, who polled 98,722 (48 percent). Broome easily prevailed in the lower-turnout election with 65,495 (57 percent) to Carter's 50,353 (43 percent).[10]

A month after his loss in the mayor-presidency race, Carter was hospitalized in January 2021 in Baton Rouge with the coronavirus[11] and never recovered. In the mayoral campaign, he had supported Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards's coronavirus restrictions, a position which cost him the endorsement of the East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Party. He had questioned why people seemed to drop their guard while the pandemic continued for months.[1] “I’ll forget it because ev

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Youssef Rddad (January 27, 2021). Before his death from coronavirus, Steve Carter saw dangers of the virus during mayoral race. The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved on January 28, 2021.
2. ↑ Rep. Steve Carter. congress.org. Retrieved on August 27, 2011.
3. ↑ Rep. Carter, Stephen F.. mobilelgs.com. Retrieved on August 27, 2011.
4. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20, 2007.
5. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 17, 2007.
6. ↑ Representative Stephen F. Carter. house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved on August 27, 2011.
7. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 12, 2019.
8. ↑ Sam Karlin (October 14, 2019). Historic 3-way runoff possible for Baton Rouge senate seat; recount likely, official says. The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved on October 14, 2019.
9. ↑ The Moon Griffon Show, October 18, 2019.
10. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 3 and December 5, 2020.
11. ↑ Will Sentell (January 5, 2021). Steve Carter, former Baton Rouge mayoral contender, hospitalized with coronavirus. The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved on January 6, 2021.