Louisiana has amassed “unprecedented” power in the U.S. House of Representatives led by a one-two punch of Republican Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport and Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Jefferson Parish.
Despite having a relatively small delegation of six members, Louisiana wields an enormous amount of influence up and down its delegation, including Republicans Johnson, Scalise, Clay Higgins of Lafayette and Julia Letlow of Start and Democrats Troy Carter of New Orleans and Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge.
“It’s an unprecedented amount of power,” said Pearson Cross, a professor of political science at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. “Louisiana is punching way above its weight. It has more concentrated power than California (with 52 representatives).”
Never before has one state held the top two positions in the House with Johnson holding the speaker’s gavel and Steve Scalise as majority leader.
Both also have become prolific fundraisers, with Johnson reporting raising a record $24 million during the first quarter for his Grow the Majority committee as House Republicans seek to hold their slim majority during the 2026 elections.
“After we successfully defended our majority in 2024, the American people are enthusiastic about keeping House Republicans on offense in 2026,” Johnson said in a statement. “While we deliver our commonsense America First agenda, we are also building a massive campaign war chest by hitting the ground running in the first quarter. … I look forward to continuing to lead the fight ensuring House Republicans are ready to grow our majority this cycle.”
But besides Johnson and Scalise, Louisiana has a deep bench of members in leadership roles.
Higgins is chairman of the House Oversight Panel’s Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement in the 119th Congress.
He also has a seat on the House Armed Services Committee as Louisiana’s only representative on that panel, critical to support Barksdale Air Force Base and Fort Johnson, and House Homeland Security.
Letlow sites on the powerful Appropriations Committee that controls the nation’s purse strings and was elected to the panel that determines what Republicans get plum committee seats in the House.
She has recently been mentioned as a possible challenger to Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a fellow Republican, but has not confirmed interest in the race.
After Letlow won a seat on the House Republican Steering Committee in November, prominent Capitol reporter Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News tweeted: “Louisiana… has an insane amount of influence in Congress.”
Meanwhile, Carter was elected to serve as first vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, increasing the state’s unmatched clout. As a member of the House Transportation Committee, he was among those who crafted the final language in the House on the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Act.
He also serves on Homeland Security as the ranking member over Emergency Management and Technology.
Fields was elected last fall to represent the state’s new Black-majority 6th Congressional District that includes Baton Rouge and Shreveport as the population centers. Fields is back in Congress after first serving three decades ago. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee.
More: As Julia Letlow’s influence grows in Congress, she opens new office in this Louisiana city
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
