Democrat · Louisiana's 6th District · 2026
Chauna Banks
Banks has worked more than 20 years in public education and served three terms on the Baton Rouge Metro Council.
Biography
Chauna Banks spent more than two decades in public education and talks about college, trades and apprenticeships as different routes to building a life.1 She says young people should be able to find meaningful work without leaving Louisiana, rather than treating a college degree as the only path forward.1
Banks earned a computer science degree from Southern University; her career has spanned education, community advocacy and local government.1 She represented District 2 on the East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council from 2013 through 2024.2 Her professional background also includes ministry and economic development work.1
Her congressional campaign emphasizes economic mobility, with proposals to protect Social Security and Medicare, expand affordable housing and strengthen flood protection and disaster recovery programs.1 Banks also wants small businesses to have greater access to capital and federal contracting opportunities.1 She has called for federal support for apprenticeships and career training alongside traditional college preparation.1 Her campaign calls for investment in public schools, support for teachers and wider access to affordable healthcare.3
Banks connects public safety with education, employment and neighborhood investment, arguing that economic security is part of stronger communities.1 Her Sixth District opponents include Blake Miguez and Rick Edmonds.4 The November 3 open primary can produce a December 12 runoff for the seat.5
Record and controversies
Community center inventory audit
A May 2025 city audit found gaps in inventory controls and receipts at the Jewel J. Newman Community Center, which was under District 2 council oversight during Banks' tenure.6 The audit identified the center manager as the purchase card holder and documented 11 orders shipped to the former councilmember's home, contrary to city policy.6 The audit also located items from two sampled transactions at the center and an item from another transaction at the storage building.6 Banks told WBRZ that deliveries went to her home because of break ins at the center and that items were subsequently brought to the facility.7 She also said she had left receipts with the former center manager and was denied facility access during the audit.7
Disputed campaign flyer quotation
UWK reported a November 2023 ethics complaint over a state House campaign flyer containing a quote attributed to then Congressman Garret Graves.8 Graves denied making or approving the quotation.8 UWK reported that messages from Banks' account claimed permission and said the quote was not intended as a campaign endorsement.8 The article described a complaint, rather than an agency finding.8