Frank Hoffmann (R)
Term limited in 2019
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 3,093 (26%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 8,840 (74%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 4,425 (36%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 7,781 (64%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 15,514 (81%)
John Kerry (D) 3,481 (18%)
Others 195 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 13,584 (75%)
Chris John (D) 2,460 (14%)
Others 2,042 (11%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 2,663 (28%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 1,040 (11%)
Mike Francis (R) 4,540 (48%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 693 (7%)
Others 550 (6%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 8,638 (69%)
Walter Boasso (D) 1,216 (10%)
John Georges (I) 1,456 (12%)
Foster Campbell (D) 1,078 (9%)
Others 141 (2%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 3,300 (28%)
Mike Strain (R) 5,560 (46%)
Wayne Carter (R) 1,810 (15%)
Don Johnson (R) 1,309 (11%)

District 15 is located in Northeast Louisiana and is centered on the suburb of West Monroe. It also contains the western portion of Ouachita Parish except for four rural precincts in its westernmost fringe. It has a low (9%) African-American population, and it gained voters faster than the state did over the past few years. In contested statewide races, this district regularly gives good margins to Republican candidates. Its 64% preference for Bobby Jindal in 2003 was actually low for the district; typically, Republicans receive 70% or more here. George W. Bush received 81% of the vote in the 2004 Presidential race, with over 90% support in some precincts.

Like Donald Ray Kennard’s House seat in Baton Rouge, the district’s Republican preference conflicted with its historical tendency to elect Democrats to the Legislature. In 1995, however, then Democratic representative Charles Anding was denied re-election by a 10 point margin against Republican Mike Walsworth. This pickup was part of a broader Republican surge that year in legislative representation. Since his initial victory, Walsworth was re-elected comfortably against a Democrat in 1999 and was unopposed in 2003.

Representative Walsworth was term-limited in 2007 and successfully ran for Robert Barham’s term-limited state senate seat, with 82% support in the areas he had represented in the state house. Three Republicans and two Democrats sought the seat. The front runner, personnel director Frank Hoffmann, received 44% of the vote and was elected after his Republican runoff opponent (who received 24%) withdrew from the race after the primary. We see this seat as a “Republican hold” some time into the future; even with two Democrats in the race in 2007, the combined vote of the three Republican candidates was an impressive 88%.