There is little doubt as to which party will eventually hold the two seats: the 2nd district is overwhelmingly democratic and the 5th district is strongly Republican.
But it’s less clear whether either Saturday will pick a winner, or if it goes according to Louisiana’s primary system for all parties, in which the top two contestants go to a one-on-one showdown if no candidate gets 50% of the vote do not get – one or both races will run after a run-off in April.
2nd district
In the 2nd District, Carter and Peterson are the best-known candidates in the 15-person field.
Peterson, a former state chairman of the Democratic Party, has stepped forward by adopting policy positions such as the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all. She pointed out that Louisiana has never elected a black woman to Congress.
She also has deep ties with leading Democratic figures, including support from an influential group of veteran black Democratic agents: Donna Brazile, Minyon Moore, Leah Daughtry and Yolanda Caraway.
Carter was more comfortable embracing the banner of the establishment, and considered himself an effective legislator and his approval from Richmond, South Carolina, representative Jim Clyburn, unions in Louisiana, and the Greater New Orleans AFL-CIO.
“For me, it’s never been about issues that make the biggest headlines. It’s about issues that make the biggest difference in people’s lives,” he said in an ad.
Among the other 13 candidates is activist Gary Chambers Jr., who also developed the following, in part because of his criticism in June of a Louisiana school board member who defended naming a school after Robert E. Lee – and which then turned out to be online shopping during a hearing on the subject.
“You put your arrogant self here and sit there shopping while the pain and hurt of the people of this community are exposed because you are not giving much and you have to resign,” Chambers told the school board member in the audience.
5th District
In the 5th District, national Republicans worked hard to give the signal that Letlow was their preference.
Former President Ralph Abraham – whose resignation opened the door in December for the victory of his former chief of staff Luke Letlow – prefers not to run for his old seat again. State Representative Lance Harris, who finished second in Letlow last year, also left out.
And Julia Letlow’s entry into the race effectively kept other big Republican names away.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican no. 2, Louisiana’s representative, Steve Scalise, supports Letlow. So did former President Donald Trump, who called her “a wonderful and talented person.” Former Vice President Mike Pence and the state GOP also supported Letlow.
Earlier this month, she told ABC that Luke had always encouraged her to run for office when the opportunity arose. She said they spent so much time with her deceased husband on the campaign, preparing her for the run-up.
“Listen to the people from each congregation and listen to their dreams for their future and their ideas on how to make this region better,” Letlow said. “They stole my heart when I was campaigning with Luke, so I feel equipped and ready to carry the torch forward.”
The question in Letlow’s race is whether she will be kept below 50% of the vote. Sandra “Candy” Christophe is the only twelve-member Democrat, and may be able to benefit from it if other Republicans siphon off Letlow. Democrats in the Fifth District of Louisiana received 30 to 35% support in the recent congressional election there, and if the numbers match a split GOP field, that could put Christophe up for a run.
If Letlow wins, she would increase the record number of Republican women in the House to 31.
CNN’s Jasmine Wright, Annie Grayer and Dan Merica contributed to this report.