Cedric Richmond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cedric Richmond
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Official portrait, 2011
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| Director of the Office of Public Engagement | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – May 18, 2022 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Adrian Saenz |
| Preceded by | Timothy Pataki |
| Succeeded by | Keisha Lance Bottoms |
| Senior Advisor to the President | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – May 18, 2022 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Jared Kushner Stephen Miller Ivanka Trump |
| Succeeded by | Julie Rodriguez Keisha Lance Bottoms |
| Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | G. K. Butterfield |
| Succeeded by | Karen Bass |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 2nd district |
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| In office January 3, 2011 – January 15, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph Cao |
| Succeeded by | Troy Carter |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 101st district |
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| In office January 6, 2000 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Naomi White Farve |
| Succeeded by | Wesley Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Cedric Levan Richmond
September 13, 1973 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Raquel Greenup
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Morehouse College (BA) Tulane University (JD) |
Cedric Richmond, born on September 13, 1973, is an American lawyer and politician. He currently works as a senior advisor for the Democratic National Committee. Before this, he was a senior advisor to the President and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement for President Joe Biden.
Richmond is a member of the Democratic Party. He served as a U.S. representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district from 2011 to 2021. This district includes most of New Orleans. From 2017 to 2019, Richmond led the Congressional Black Caucus. He was the only Democrat from Louisiana in Congress during his third term. He also represented New Orleans in the Louisiana State House from 2000 to 2011. In 2019, he became a national co-chair for Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.
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Early Life and Education
Richmond was born in New Orleans in 1973. He grew up in New Orleans East and went to public schools there. His father passed away when Cedric was seven years old. His mother was a public school teacher and also owned a small business.
Richmond graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Morehouse College. Later, he received a law degree from Tulane School of Law. He also completed a special program at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. While at Morehouse, Richmond played college baseball as a pitcher for the Morehouse Maroon Tigers.
Serving in the Louisiana Legislature
Richmond was elected to the Louisiana State House for the 101st district. He served from 2000 to 2011. He was elected shortly after his 27th birthday. This made him one of the youngest lawmakers in Louisiana at that time.
He served as the Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary. He was also a member of other important committees. These included Ways and Means, House Executive, and Legislative Audit Advisory committees.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
In 2010, Richmond was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. He took office in 2011 and was reelected several times.
On June 9, 2014, Richmond introduced a bill called the Honor Flight Act (H.R. 4812; 113th Congress). This bill aimed to help veterans travel easily. It would make it simpler for them to visit war memorials built to honor their service.
Richmond was one of the few Democrats who voted to allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built. He received a lot of money from companies that deal with fossil fuels. The League of Conservation Voters, a group that supports environmental protection, gave him a low rating.
Richmond was very active in the Congressional Black Caucus. This group is made up of African-American lawmakers. They work together to make sure their voices are heard in Congress. On November 30, 2016, he was chosen to lead the caucus.
On December 18, 2019, Richmond voted to impeach President Donald Trump.
Elections for Congress
2010 Election
Richmond ran against Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao for the 2nd Congressional District seat. President Barack Obama appeared in a TV ad to support Richmond. This was the first time Obama had done this for a candidate in the 2010 elections.
Many experts thought Richmond would win this seat back for the Democrats. The 2nd district was very Democratic. In 2008, Obama won 74% of the vote there. Richmond won the election on November 2 with 65% of the votes.
2020 Election
Richmond's campaign received nearly $113,000 from the oil and gas industry. This was the largest amount of money donated to his campaign from any single industry. He was reelected with 63.6% of the vote.
Committee Work
Richmond served on several important committees in the House of Representatives:
- Committee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies (Chair)
- Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
- Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
Congressional Groups
Richmond was part of these special groups in Congress:
- Congressional Black Caucus
- New Democrat Coalition
Congressional Baseball Game
Richmond played in the yearly Congressional Baseball Game. He was the starting pitcher for the Democratic team for five years. The Democrats won every game he pitched in during that time. He was known as a very good player. In 2016, the Republican team manager Joe Barton called him the best player ever in the game.
Working for the Biden Administration
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Richmond was a national co-chair for the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. On November 17, 2020, he announced he would join the Biden administration. He became a Senior Advisor to the President. He also became the director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. President Biden later renamed this office the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Richmond officially left Congress on January 15, 2021. His departure led to a special election in his district. Some groups criticized his appointment. They said he received many donations from the fossil fuel industry.
Before Biden became president, Richmond spoke about his work. He mentioned reaching out to conservatives across the country. Richmond also worked with the Biden administration on issues like reparations for slavery.
Richmond left the White House on May 18, 2022. He took a job at the Democratic National Committee.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2011
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Senior FEMA leaders met with Louisiana State Representative Cedric Richmond (center) and other officials.
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From left, Senator Mark Warner, Senator Michael Bennet, Senator Tom Udall, Former NBA player Muggsy Bogues, Congressman Joseph Crowley and Congressman Richmond.
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Richmond with Vice President Kamala Harris and House Whip Jim Clyburn in the West Wing, February 2021.
See also
