U.S. House, Louisiana 2nd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District?
Troy Carter has the strongest record in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District. Troy Carter scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Troy Carter's highest marks are relevant experience and results. Lisa Ballay (2 of 15 criteria), Walter "Rocky" Beach (4 of 15 criteria), Renada "Honey" Collins (4 of 15 criteria) and Peter Williams (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Libertarian
Lisa Ballay
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
No Party
Walter "Rocky" Beach
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Troy Carter
On the ballot as Troy A. Carter Sr.
63 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 69
No Party
Renada "Honey" Collins
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Republican
Peter Williams
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 56
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Lisa Ballay
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Walter "Rocky" Beach
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Troy Carter
- Mark against2025-05-09
The FEC assessed his campaign committee a $7,185 administrative fine over 2024 48-hour contribution notices; the finding was upheld May 9, 2025 and the fine was paid in full.
Source: FEC Administrative Fine 4855
- On the record2026
Announced on his House site that he would host a public town hall on the proposed closure of a New Orleans school.
Source: House office site
- Credit2022-12-05
Sponsored H.R. 7863, the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act; its identical Senate bill, S. 3510, was signed into law Dec. 5, 2022.
Renada "Honey" Collins
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Peter Williams
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. Annual financial disclosures are on file with the House Clerk and no periodic transaction reports are listed for 2021 to 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: House Committee on Ethics site search for Carter, Ballotpedia, Troy Carter
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. No public record found.
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. Holds public town halls, including one he announced on a New Orleans school closure. No 2026 debate record found.
Source: House office site
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. Has held elected office for most years since 1992: state representative, New Orleans City Council, state senator and minority leader, and member of Congress since 2021. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: WRKF, Aug. 12, 2026
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. Has held sworn state and federal office; took his House seat May 11, 2021, after the January 2021 electoral count, and is not on the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus list. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Troy Carter
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Lisa Ballay. Director of surgical physician practices at LCMC Health Neuroscience, per the qualifying list. Has not held public office.
Source: WRKF, Aug. 12, 2026
Walter "Rocky" Beach. Paramedic for more than 37 years. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Walter Beach, 2026 survey, WRKF, Aug. 12, 2026
Troy Carter. In Congress since 2021 and seeking a third full term; earlier served in the Louisiana Senate, the Louisiana House and the New Orleans City Council.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Troy Carter, WRKF, Aug. 12, 2026
Renada "Honey" Collins. Describes a business career since 1999, including founding a cosmetics line; Ballotpedia lists work as a banking executive. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Renada Collins
Peter Williams. Taught physical education in public schools, was a recreation director in Lafayette, and since 1999 has run a tree farm growing hardwood seedlings for federal reforestation programs. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Peter Williams (Louisiana), 2026 survey, WRKF, Aug. 12, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. His 2026 survey answers give positions on voter citizenship verification, carbon capture pipelines and eminent domain, and emergency care, mostly in general terms.
Troy Carter. Serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee (Communications and Technology, Environment, Health subcommittees) and the Homeland Security Committee. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Renada "Honey" Collins. Her 2026 survey answers state priorities such as a livable wage and infrastructure in general terms.
Peter Williams. His 2026 survey answers state goals in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Peter Williams (Louisiana), 2026 survey
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026.
Source: Ballotpedia, Walter Beach
Troy Carter. Offers an email newsletter, hosts town halls and publishes resource pages on his House site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: House office site, Ballotpedia, Troy Carter
Renada "Honey" Collins. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026.
Source: Ballotpedia, Renada Collins
Peter Williams. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Lisa Ballay. Lives in New Orleans, per the qualifying list.
Source: WRKF, Aug. 12, 2026
Walter "Rocky" Beach. Lives in Gonzales, per the qualifying list.
Source: WRKF, Aug. 12, 2026
Troy Carter. Born in New Orleans in 1963 and represented the city on its council and in the Legislature.
Source: Ballotpedia, Troy Carter
Renada "Honey" Collins. Lives in New Orleans, per the qualifying list, and ran for mayor of New Orleans in 2025.
Source: WRKF, Aug. 12, 2026
Peter Williams. Has lived in Lettsworth, Pointe Coupee Parish, since the early 1980s, where he raised his children and runs his business.
Source: Ballotpedia, Peter Williams (Louisiana), 2026 survey
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. The FEC assessed Troy Carter for Congress a $7,185 administrative fine for 2024 48-hour notices, upheld May 9, 2025 and paid in full.
Source: FEC Administrative Fine 4855
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.975 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.526, exceeding expectations. His Disaster Resiliency Planning Act was enacted as S. 3510 in December 2022.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 7863 (117th Congress)
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. Missed 38 of 2,782 roll call votes, 1.4 percent, from May 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. Lists district offices including Reserve and Gonzales and offers help with federal agencies and small businesses. No published casework totals found.
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.81379 for 2023 (118th Congress), ranked 292 of 436, negative but above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Lisa Ballay. No public record found.
Walter "Rocky" Beach. No public record found.
Troy Carter. No public record found.
Renada "Honey" Collins. No public record found.
Peter Williams. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District?
Troy Carter has the strongest record in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District. Troy Carter scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Troy Carter's highest marks are relevant experience and results. Lisa Ballay (2 of 15 criteria), Walter "Rocky" Beach (4 of 15 criteria), Renada "Honey" Collins (4 of 15 criteria) and Peter Williams (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District in 2026?
Lisa Ballay (Libertarian), Walter "Rocky" Beach (No Party), Troy Carter (Democratic, incumbent), Renada "Honey" Collins (No Party), Peter Williams (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Lisa Ballay a good candidate for Congress?
Lisa Ballay has public evidence on 2 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Walter "Rocky" Beach a good candidate for Congress?
Walter "Rocky" Beach has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Troy Carter a good candidate for Congress?
Troy Carter scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Renada "Honey" Collins a good candidate for Congress?
Renada "Honey" Collins has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Peter Williams a good candidate for Congress?
Peter Williams has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Louisiana race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Louisiana 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.