Bryan Wagner

Bryan James Wagner (born 1943) is the first Republican since Reconstruction to have been elected to the New Orleans City Council. He filled a vacancy of an unexpired term in District A from May 1980 to April 1982.

In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on April 5, 1980, Wagner polled 5,513 votes (24.4 percent) and went into the May 17 general election against Democrat Flo Schornstein, who polled 7,037 (31.2 percent). Five other Democratic candidates received 44.4 percent in the primary. Wagner secured considerable Democratic support and went on to defeat Mrs. Schornstein, 11,900 votes (51.2 percent) to 11,353 ballots (48.8 percent).^[1]

Since Wagner's tenure, only a few Republicans have been elected to the New Orleans City Council:

• Peggy Wilson, an unsuccessful candidate for mayor in the 2006 jungle primary.
• Suzanne Haik Terrell, the last Louisiana elections commissioner and the failed Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2002 and for state attorney general in 2003.
• Jay Batt, service rom 2002 to 2006.

The electoral success of all three benefited from the Republican leanings of District A.

In 1986, Wagner was named Republican national committeeman from Louisiana to succeed Frank Spooner of Monroe, who stepped down after nine years in the position. Wagner has remained active in the Louisiana Republican Party. Wagner headed the Louisiana delegation in 2008 to the convention in Minneapolis, which nominated the McCain-Palin ticket. Spooner was also a delegate to the 2008 convention.

In 2008, Wagner served as manager for the successful campaign of Anh "Joseph" Cao for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district.^[2] Cao was subsequently unseated in 2010 by the Democrat Cedric Richmond, who still holds the seat.

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