| Elections in Louisiana | |||||||||||
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The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the nine U.S. Representatives from the state of Louisiana, one from each of the state's six congressional districts, a loss of one seat following reapportionment according to the results of the 2010 Census. The elections will coincide with elections for other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election.
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During the redistricting process, U.S. Representative Charles Boustany advocated a plan which, rather than drawing his home and that of Landry into the same district (as the bill which became law did), would instead make fellow Republican Representative John Fleming's district potentially more competitive. Fleming later said of Boustany, "I don't feel like I can trust anything he says. Everything he told me, he reneged on."[1]
Due to difficulties reaching a consensus among the congressional deleation, U.S. Representatives Rodney Alexander, Bill Cassidy, Fleming, Jeff Landry and Steve Scalise wrote to Governor Bobby Jindal requesting that the state legislature postpone the redistricting process for a year.[2]
Nonetheless, a redistricting bill was passed by the Louisiana House of Representatives and Louisiana Senate, and was signed into law by Jindal on April 14, 2011,[3]
Louisiana is among the states which, according to a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act enacted upon states with a history of denial of voting rights, must submit legislative maps to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval in order to ascertain that the purpose and effects of the map are not discriminatory.[3]
Republican Steve Scalise, who has represented the 1st district since 2008, is expected to seek re-election.[4] In redistricting the 1st district has been extended from Metairie towards the Gulf Coast[5] and includes the cities of Slidell and Houma, and the two parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina, St. Bernard and Plaquemines.[4] It comprises 373,405 white American registered voters, 46,542 African Americans and 30,126 people of other ethnicities. Of its voters, 167,824 are affiliated to the Democratic Party, 167,336 to the Republican Party, and 114,913 to neither party.[3]
The 2nd district, which has been represented by Democrat Cedric Richmond since January 2011, was extended in redistricting along the Mississippi River to include Baton Rouge.[4] It comprises 144,721 white registered voters, 276,668 African Americans and 27,558 people of other ethnicities. Of its voters, 302,120 are Democrats, 51,268 are Republicans, and 95,559 are affiliated to neither party.[3]
The 3rd district includes the homes of Republican incumbents Jeff Landry and Charles Boustany, who have represented the 3rd district since January 2011 and the now-defunct 7th district since 2005 respectively.[5] It comprises 336,889 white registered voters, 107,033 African Americans and 14,497 people of other ethnicities. Of its voters, 229,704 are Democrats, 120,787 are Republicans, and 107,928 are affiliated to neither party.[3]
The district is located in southern Louisiana and stretches from the Texas border to Iberia and St. Martin parishes.[4] It incorporates Lake Charles and Lafayette, which were centers of population in Boustany's former district. Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, which form a part of the district Landry currently represents, will no longer be in the 3rd district.[5]
Landry was considered a potential candidate for Attorney General of Louisiana in 2011;[6] however, he has said he intends to run for re-election to the House in 2012.[1]
The 4th district, which has been represented by Republican John Fleming since 2009, comprises 276,373 white registered voters, 140,630 African Americans and 15,020 people of other ethnicities. Of its voters, 221,187 are Democrats, 118,015 are Republicans, and 92,721 are affiliated to neither party.[3] The district's boundaries remain similar to those of its previous incarnation:[5] it is anchored by Shreveport and borders Texas and Arkansas.[4]
The 5th district, which has been represented by Republican Rodney Alexander since 2003, comprises 294,830 white registered voters, 144,744 African Americans and 11,107 people of other ethnicities. Of its voters, 239,963 are Democrats, 117,624 are Republicans, and 93,094 are affiliated to neither party.[3] The make-up of the 5th district, which mostly covers the northeast of the state,[4], now takes in the northern reaches of the Florida Parishes north of Baton Rouge.[5]
The 6th district, which has been represented by Republican Bill Cassidy since 2009, comprises 334,899 white registered voters, 88,460 African Americans and 16,873 people of other ethnicities. Of its voters, 194,088 are Democrats, 143,160 are Republicans, and 102,984 are affiliated to neither party.[3] It includes the suburbs of Baton Rouge and extends south as far as the outskirts of Houma.[4]