Barbara Norton (D)
Term limited in 2019
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 8,325 (91%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 849 (9%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 6,855 (84%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 1,283 (16%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 1,641 (12%)
John Kerry (D) 12,076 (87%)
Others 92 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 1,404 (11%)
Chris John (D) 6,023 (47%)
Others 5,355 (42%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 371 (5%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 4,678 (70%)
Mike Francis (R) 703 (10%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 317 (5%)
Others 700 (10%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 805 (11%)
Walter Boasso (D) 2,845 (38%)
John Georges (I) 743 (10%)
Foster Campbell (D) 2,905 (39%)
Others 101 (1%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 5,298 (81%)
Mike Strain (R) 680 (10%)
Wayne Carter (R) 384 (6%)
Don Johnson (R) 193 (3%)

African-American representation in the legislature is a relatively recent phenomenon. Though there was a big influx in membership after the 1991 reapportionment, there were also major gains before that after the 1983 reapportionment. House District 3 was one of those districts created.

The district itself is located in south-central Shreveport and is shaped like a pie wedge. Its borders are roughly I-49, I-20, and the Inner Loop. It has a solid and steadily increasing 86% African-American majority (it was 81% African-American in 2003).  The district has also lost 1% of its voting population since Katrina, with the loss occurring as a result of a recent voter purge.

The political preferences of this district are solidly Democratic. “Bobby” Jindal’s 16% of the vote in 2003 was actually a good performance for a Republican. More typical were the 9-12% voter preferences for Suzy Terrell, George Bush, David Vitter, and “Bobby” Jindal in his 2007 race.

The district’s representation has been almost as stable as its political preferences. When it was created in 1983, African-American Democrat Willie Singleton held the seat from 1983 to 1995. Ernest Baylor has held the seat since then. The district has only been seriously contested twice: in 1995, when Baylor defeated fellow Democrat Barbara Norton (a local Democratic party activist) 60-40% in the runoff; and in 2003, when Norton ran again and actually held Baylor to a 52-48% lead in the primary.

Representative Baylor was term-limited in 2007, and Barbara Norton was successful on her third attempt, winning outright in the 2007 primary with 56% of the vote.