Monica Walker (D)
Term limited in 2015
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 6,264 (58%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 4,607 (42%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 7,887 (72%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 3,090 (28%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 8,302 (54%)
John Kerry (D) 6,976 (45%)
Others 247 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 6,177 (43%)
Chris John (D) 5,333 (37%)
Others 3,010 (20%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 1,477 (30%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 1,500 (30%)
Mike Francis (R) 1,041 (21%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 468 (9%)
Others 520 (10%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 6,256 (41%)
Walter Boasso (D) 4,404 (29%)
John Georges (I) 1,700 (11%)
Foster Campbell (D) 2,198 (15%)
Others 563 (4%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 7,613 (54%)
Mike Strain (R) 4,239 (30%)
Wayne Carter (R) 998 (7%)
Don Johnson (R) 1,312 (9%)

House District 28 is located in Central Louisiana and includes all of Avoyelles Parish – one of only two state House districts to cover an entire parish. While Avoyelles Parish is mostly South Louisiana Cajun, there is a portion of Avoyelles Parish on the “redneck side of the (Red) river” which is all-white and Protestant.

Like Natchitoches Parish to the northwest, Avoyelles Parish (District 28) is a “swing parish”, supporting the winner in 20 of 21 elections for President, Senator, U.S. House, and Governor since 1980 (the one time it supported a loser was when it voted for David Duke in the 1990 Senate race). In this case, contributing factors are probably the mixture of Catholics and Protestants, and a moderate and stable 26% African-American voting population. Furthermore, the district’s voting population has remained flat since 2003.

The district has also had steady representation, with only three people representing the area in the state House since 1968. Democrat Raymond LaBorde (who was Edwin Edwards’ boyhood friend) served from 1968 to 1992. He had little trouble being re-elected, and he resigned in 1992 to become Commissioner of Administration in the 1992-1996 Edwards administration. He was succeeded in 1992 by Democrat Charles Riddle, who was elected in the primary after his runoff opponent withdrew. Ironically for someone representing Edwards’ boyhood home, Rep. Riddle was a member of the “young Turks” which was the “loyal opposition” to the Edwards administration on various matters. This membership got him labeled as an obstructionist from the former governor, and probably contributed to the 59% of the vote he received when he ran for his first full term in 1995. After 1995, with Edwards out of the picture, Rep. Riddle was unopposed for re-election in 1999, and he left in 2002 to become District Attorney of Avoyelles Parish. He was replaced by Democrat Monica Walker, who was elected with 51% of the vote in the runoff. Rep. Walker was unopposed in her 2003 re-election.

Though Rep. Walker can serve two more terms before she is term-limited in 2015, she has chosen to retire this year. We rate this district as a “likely Democratic hold” as Republican Kirby Roy faces three Democrats: “Digger” Earles, Robert Johnson, and Warren Plauche.