The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 and elected the six 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 coincided with elections for other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election. A jungle primary took place on November 6, with a runoff, if necessary, scheduled for December 8.[1]
Overview
United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana, 2012[2][3]
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."[4]
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.[6]
District 1
2012 Louisiana's 1st congressional district election
Democrat Cedric Richmond, who has represented the 2nd district since January 2011, is running for re-election.[13] In redistricting, the district was extended in redistricting to include areas of the old 3rd and 6th district, along the Mississippi River to include Baton Rouge.[7] It comprises 144,721 White Americans 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.[6]
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.[9] It comprises 336,889 White Americans 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.[6]
The district is located in southern Louisiana and stretches from the Texas border to Iberia and St. Martin parishes.[7] 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.[9]
Candidates
Republican Party
Bryan Barrilleaux, physician
Charles Boustany, incumbent U.S. Representative for the 7th district[16]
Republican John Fleming, who has represented the 4th district since 2009, is running for re-election.[20] The district comprises 276,373 White Americans 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.[6] Its boundaries remain similar to those of its previous incarnation:[9] it is anchored by Shreveport and borders Texas and Arkansas.[7]
Republican Rodney Alexander, who has represented the 5th district since 2003, is running for re-election.[13] The district comprises 294,830 White Americans 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.[6] The make-up of the 5th district, which mostly covers the northeast of the state,[7] now takes in the northern reaches of the Florida Parishes north of Baton Rouge, which were a part of the old 1st and 6th districts.[9]
Republican Bill Cassidy, who has represented the 6th district since 2009, is running for re-election.[24] The district comprises 334,899 White Americans 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.[6] It includes the suburbs of Baton Rouge and extends south as far as the outskirts of Houma.[7]
Candidates
Republican Party
Bill Cassidy, incumbent U.S. Representative
Libertarian Party
Rufus Holt Craig, Jr., lawyer and 2004 Democratic candidate for Louisiana's 6th congressional district[21]
^The numbers presented are those cast on November 6, 2013 and do not include the votes cast in the election of December 8, 2012 in the 3rd Congressional District. Charles Boustany (Rep.) received 58,820 votes and Jeff Landry (Rep.) received 37,767 votes in that election.
^Burnett, Lou Gehrig (February 1, 2012). "Bananas over Foster". Bossier Press-Tribune. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
^As a candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the Non-Partisan Primary, that candidate was declared elected to the House seat and no General Election was held.
Government
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