BATON ROUGE mdash; Qualifying closed for hundreds of races in Louisiana, including for Louisiana's redrawn congressional districts.The changes stem from the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Louisiana's previous congressional map. Lawmakers redrew the districts, eliminating the second majority-Black congressional district and forcing current Congressman Cleo Fields out of the race."The puzzle pieces have shifted dramatically in a short time," said WBRZ political analyst James Hartman.Both political parties will hold their congressional primaries on general election day, Nov. 3. Whoever wins that primary will then run in the general congressional election on Dec. 12.Ten candidates qualified for the Sixth District, which includes parts of East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension parishes. Republicans Stephen Wagley, Monique Appeaning, Larry Davis III, Rick Edmonds and Michael Mebreur all qualified for the race, along with Republican state Sen. Blake Miguez, who had previously planned to run in the Fifth District.Democrats Chauna Banks, Pat Forbes and Lindsay Garcia, plus Libertarian Rufus Craig, also filed for the Sixth District."We went from having one majority-minority district, opportunity districts as they're called, to having 2 and within only one term, we're back to having one," Hartman said.Hartman said the new map could create a shift within the Democratic Party, but he believes the party's organization and funding could play a role in whether that translates into more competitive congressional races."It should create a shift, but as I've said before, the state Democratic Party is plagued with poor organization, poor funding and poor leadership," Hartman said.In the capital area, more than a dozen people now run unopposed. Those seats include the Zachary mayor, multiple judges and multiple Central School Board seats.For more details on qualifying, click here.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less