Incumbent Hillar Moore and challenger Ryan Thompson are officially set for a two-person race in the 2026 election for East Baton Rouge District Attorney after the end of the official election registration period. 

This is the first time longtime district attorney Moore has had a challenger for the seat since 2008, which was the first time he ran. Moore and Thompson are both Democrats. 

Moore’s reelection campaign has heavily focused on pushing for more resources for the office through advocating for additional funding.

“Our main focus is violent crime,” Moore said after qualifying. “(and continue to) prosecute as vigorously as we can, the violent offenders.”

Moore said he wants voters to know he is “proven, reliable, ethical and worked extremely hard every day for 18 years” from prosecution to showing up to every major crime scene.

The District Attorney’s Office under Moore has spearheaded ongoing initiatives over the years like Stop the Loss and TRUCE, which employ innovative and nontraditional methods to identify abusers and reduce violence.

Thompson has served in Baton Rouge’s public defender’s office and also has his own civil practice, the Thompson Justice Institute.

Thompson represented plaintiffs suing the city-parish in separate cases involving the “BRAVE Cave,” a now-shuttered interrogation facility where his clients allege police abused them.

“Baton Rouge under this current DA is not safe,” Thompson said, following qualifying for the election.

Thompson, regarding his candidacy, has said the justice system needs a fresh approach and that he will focus on building community trust and support, starting with knocking on doors in his campaign.

The election will be on the Nov. 3 ballot. Early voting is from Oct. 20-27.

Two more district attorney races in the area officially began Friday, while two other district attorneys were reelected unopposed. 

The Florida Parish area will see its first competitive district attorney’s race in 30 years. With longtime District Attorney Scott Perrilloux stepping down, two competitors are vying to be the top prosecutor across Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa parishes.

While both are Republicans, Brad Cascio and Sherman Mack otherwise present divergent options for voters.

Cascio, a longtime assistant district attorney, is running on his experience in the office. He has worked as a prosecutor since he graduated from law school in 2013 and has argued more than 4,000 cases. Among Cascio’s goals are to create an in-house investigations unit in the office, where none currently exists, and to expand the drug court, which focuses on diversion and oversight rather than incarceration.

Mack, a former state representative from Albany, is running on being the outside-the-box candidate. While he has never worked as a prosecutor, he has spent his career working as a lawyer and lawmaker, including 12 years in the Louisiana House of Representatives. He has not yet released a detailed platform, but his top priority is to put in place policies and standards meant to give the public more confidence in the office and to increase community outreach, he said. 

North of Baton Rouge, two people are vying to become district attorney for East and West Feliciana parishes.

Attorneys Cy D’Aquila Jr. and Kenneth Fabre are running for district attorney in the 20th District. Incumbent Sam D’Aquilla decided not to seek reelection, and is running for a district judgeship instead.

D’Aquila, a Republican, has practiced civil, criminal and family law in the Felicianas for more than 18 years, including running a private practice and serving as a public defender in the district for 16 years. 

Fabre, who has no party affiliation, has been a trial court prosecutor for over 20 years and also served as a prosecutor for the city of Baker. He works for D’Aquilla as an assistant district attorney. Fabre was a captain in the Army who served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

Southeast of Baton Rouge, Republican Ricky Babin will serve a fourth term as district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District after no one else registered for the election.

Babin has served as district attorney since 2008; the district covers Ascension, Assumption and St. James parishes. Babin ran unopposed for his second term in 2014 and his third term in 2020.

He began practicing civil law in 1992 before moving into criminal defense work. In 1995, Babin joined the district attorney’s office. He was appointed first assistant district attorney in 2002 and served in that position through 2008.

West of Louisiana’s capital, Democrat Tony Clayton, was elected unopposed to serve as district attorney for West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, and Iberville parishes. 

Clayton was first elected to the 18th Judicial District Court in 2020 to replace incumbent Richard J. Ward Jr., who retired after serving nearly 30 years as district attorney. As an assistant district attorney, Clayton was a prosecutor in the cases of convicted serial killers Derrick Todd Lee and Sean Gillis. 

In addition to his work as district attorney, Clayton serves as the chairman of the Southern University Board of Supervisors. He was appointed to the position by Gov. Jeff Landry and started on Dec. 1. 

Staff writers Claire Grunewald, Olivia Tees, Blake Leschber, Gigi Liman, AnnaKate Freeland and Deanna Narveson contributed to this report.