20 Facts About Kip Holden

Kip Holden was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate in the November 21,2015 race for lieutenant governor, losing to Republican Billy Nungesser.

Kip Holden vacated his position as Mayor-President at the end of 2016 and was succeeded by Sharon Weston Broome, another member of the Democratic Party.

Kip Holden studied at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he graduated Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 1974.

Kip Holden then studied at Southern University in Baton Rouge where he graduated Master of Arts in Journalism in 1982.

Kip Holden then went to Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge where he graduated a Juris Doctor in 1985.

Previous to his political career, Holden was a journalist and later an attorney.

Kip Holden worked at the Louisiana Department of Labor as a clerk in the Workers' Compensation Office, at the Baton Rouge City Police as a public information officer, and at the United States Census Bureau as a public relations specialist.

Kip Holden worked at WXOK Radio in Port Allen as a news director, at WWL Radio in New Orleans as a Reporter, and at WBRZ Channel 2, Baton Rouge as a Reporter.

Kip Holden was a Member of the Baton Rouge Metro Council from District 2 from 1984 until 1988.

Kip Holden represented Louisiana State Representative from District 63 from 1988 until 2002.

Kip Holden served as Louisiana State Senator from District 15 from 2002 until 2004.

Kip Holden ran unsuccessfully for mayor-president of Baton Rouge in 1996 and 2000.

Kip Holden was elected mayor-president on November 3,2004, when he unseated the Republican incumbent, Bobby Simpson of Baker.

Kip Holden became a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by Mayors Michael Bloomberg of New York City and Thomas Menino of Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2008, Kip Holden was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.

Kip Holden handily won reelection in the nonpartisan blanket primary held in conjunction with the national election on November 6,2012.

Kip Holden led the four-candidate field in the primary with 360,679 votes, qualifying him to face Nungesser in a runoff, who finished second in the primary with 324,654 votes.

Kip Holden nevertheless was an easy winner in populous Orleans and East Baton Rouge parishes.

In 2016, Kip Holden, who was term-limited as Mayor-President in Baton Rouge, ran unsuccessfully for the US House to represent Louisiana's 2nd congressional district held by fellow Democrat Cedric Richmond.

Kip Holden finished with only 20 percent of the ballots cast to Richmond's 70 percent.