Central Voters to Help Decide Three State Legislative Seats

BATON ROUGE — Bills to reapportion the Louisiana House and Senate and the state’s Congressional delegation have cleared the legislature and are on the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal awaiting signature.

The most significant development for Central is the creation of a new State Senate district with Central at its hub.  Designated as Senate District 6, it will be filled in the regular statewide elections Oct. 22 and Nov. 19.  The district, which is currently represented by Sen. Julie Quinn of Jefferson Parish, has been moved from the New Orleans area to the Baton Rouge area as a result of population shifts.

The new district begins in southeast Baton Rouge, travels north along the Amite River, picks up most of Central and Baywood, and then heads east across St. Helena Parish and then south through Tangipahoa Parish.  It includes parts of Hammond and Ponchatoula.

The district has a population of 120,032 and 72,879 registered voters.  Voter registration is 76 percent white, 20.4 percent black, and 3.6 percent other.  It includes 30,023 Democrats, 25,619 Republicans, and 17,237 from other parties or independents.  It will be the 12th most Republican district in the state.

On a parish-by-parish basis, the  voter registration is as follows:

East Baton Rouge 43,173

Tangipahoa 25,711

St. Helena 2,844

Livingston 1,151

Precincts in the district have a record of voting strongly for conservative Republican candidates.

Sen. Dale Erdey, who currently represents Livingston Parish and most of Central, will only have two precincts in Central under the new plan.

Rep. Bodi White said he is considering running for the new Senate District 6 seat, as are a number of others.  Most of White’s current House District 64 is in Livingston Parish, but none of that area is in the new Senate district.

White’s new House District 64 is very similar to his old district.  It includes the northern part of Central plus Chaneyville, Pride, and the Watson area in Livingston Parish.  It has 12,971 registered voters in Livingston Parish, and 11,574 in East Baton Rouge.  White lives off Blackwater Road in Central.

Rep. Clif Richardson’s House District 65 has changed little with reapportionment.  It includes the southern part of Central and parts of southeast Baton Rouge.  The district is losing a precinct west of the Comite River and picking up the Episcopal precinct in South Baton Rouge.  The district has 20,542 white voters and 3,754 black voters.  It has 9,839 registered Democrats, 9,742 Republicans, and 5,706 other parties and independents.

The legislature passed a Congressional reapportionment plan that carves the Florida Parishes into four different Congressional districts.  The Felicianas, St. Helena, northern Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes will be a tiny part of the 5th District, based in North Louisiana.  St. Tammany and southern Tangipahoa will continue to be in the 1st District.  The 6th District will include parts of East Baton Rouge but travel through the River Parishes to Thibodaux.  The 2nd District is designed to be majority black.  It includes most of New Orleans and the inner city of Baton Rouge.

In interviews with the Hammond Daily Star, two Tangipahoa political figures had different perspectives on whether Tangipahoa Parish has a chance to elect the state senator from the new Senate District 6.

Hammond Mayor Mayson Foster said, “A Tangipahoa senator could be elected, but he or she would certainly have to take East Baton Rouge significantly,” But Foster said he doesn’t see that happening. “I was really a little surprised that they changed that,” he said.

Tangipahoa political consultant Nick Gagliano disagreed with Foster’s assessment.  He said Tangipahoa could elect a senator because the interests of South Baton Rouge and Central differ, and voters in those areas could split their votes.  “I think it’s an equal playing field,” Gagliano told the Star.

If Bodi White were to run for the State Senate, his House seat would be left with no incumbent, which is sure to attract a number of candidates.

Qualifying for the state House and Senate, as well as statewide offices from Governor to Insurance Commissioner will be Sept. 6 to 8, but political activity can be expected to begin much sooner than that.