NEW ORLEANS -- US Representative William Jefferson easily defeated his fellow Democratic opponent in yesterday's runoff, despite an ongoing federal bribery investigation.
With 44 percent of the precincts reporting, Jefferson, Louisiana's first black congressman since Reconstruction, led with 61 percent of the vote over state Representative Karen Carter.
Carter was unable to capitalize on a scandal that included allegations that the FBI found $90,000 in bribe money in Jefferson's freezer.
In a concession speech, Carter embraced relatives and pledged to work with Jefferson, especially on the area's recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
"I guess the people are happy with the status quo," she said.
Jefferson was forced into the runoff against Carter when he failed to receive 50 percent of the vote in a crowded open multiparty primary.
Carter had sought to become the first black woman from Louisiana elected to Congress.
Jefferson described his win as "a great moment and I thank almighty God for making it possible." He called for regional unity to focus on the hurricane recovery and on bringing back evacuees who are still scattered across the country.
Jefferson, 59, was accused of taking bribes from a company seeking lucrative contracts in the Nigerian telecommunications market. He has not been charged with any crime and has maintained that he did not do anything wrong.
The scandal turned the race into a debate largely divided along racial lines, an age-old dynamic in this city that has intensified since Hurricane Katrina displaced large numbers of blacks and upended their demographic and political dominance.
Whites, who overwhelmingly voted for Carter in the primary and have been her most enthusiastic financial backers, believed a Jefferson win would confirm this city's image as corrupt and untrustworthy as it asks the nation to fund its recovery from Katrina.
City Councilman Oliver Thomas said Jefferson's victory would make the recovery more difficult.
"People are watching this election all around the country and I can only imagine what they are thinking," Thomas said. "It will be very difficult to go back to them and ask them to trust us with the money we need here."
Carter's campaign spokesman and father, Ken, said he thought they had done all they could to compete against Jefferson but regretted the tone of the campaign in the final stages.
"Race is all too often a factor in campaigns in New Orleans," Ken Carter said. "Here we had a candidate that tried to paint this young African-American woman as a pawn of the white establishment."
One white voter, George Christen, a registered independent, cast his ballot in a predominantly white precinct in the Algiers neighborhood, just across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter.
