Brett Geymann (R)
Term limited in 2015
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 4,620 (43%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 6,174 (57%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 5,110 (45%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 6,240 (55%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 12,535 (69%)
John Kerry (D) 5,486 (30%)
Others 165 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 9,899 (56%)
Chris John (D) 6,368 (36%)
Others 1,431 (8%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 847 (17%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 1,210 (24%)
Mike Francis (R) 2,281 (44%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 358 (7%)
Others 418 (8%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 6,386 (60%)
Walter Boasso (D) 3,616 (16%)
John Georges (I) 1,513 (11%)
Foster Campbell (D) 2,107 (12%)
Others 315 (1%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 3,787 (37%)
Mike Strain (R) 4,158 (40%)
Wayne Carter (R) 1,535 (15%)
Don Johnson (R) 888 (9%)

The Lake Charles area is a political anomaly. While it tends to support Democratic candidates for national and statewide offices, its legislative delegation tends to be conservative – currently, its state House delegation is 3-1 Republican.

House District 35 includes parts of Lake Charles, the northern fringe of Calcasieu Parish, and the southern fringe of Beauregard Parish. It has a low (10%, up from 9% in 2003) African-American population, and typically gives Republicans about 55% of its votes in contested races, although George Bush received 69% here in 2004. It has also grown at about 4% over the past few years, with the strongest growth occurring in the northern fringes of Calcasieu Parish and the southern portion of Beauregard.

Within the district, there is some demographic variation, as the Moss Bluff/southern Beauregard Parish areas together cast about 60% of the vote, are nearly all-white, and consistently vote about 60% Republican in local races, with a whopping 74% of the vote for George Bush in 2004. Even in the Congressional race in 2004, this was one part of Calcasieu Parish that Lake Charles Democrat Willie Mount did not carry. The precincts in the industrialized areas around the town of Westlake cast about 23% of the vote and have a slightly higher (11%) African-American population. These precincts tend to split 50/50 in contested races, although George Bush received 66% here. Finally, there are some Lake Charles precincts with a growing (27%, up from 23%) African-American population. About 17% of the vote is cast here, and that vote consistently supports Democrats – even George Bush could only get 53% of the vote here.

Unlike most of the rest of the state, Republicans have been victorious in state house races for years despite the Democratic leanings of Calcasieu Parish. Republican Vic Stelly upset a Democratic incumbent here in the 1987 runoff. After his 1991 re-election with 63% of the vote, he was unopposed in 1995 and 1999. He retired in 2003 after getting voters to adopt the “Stelly plan” which swapped sales taxes on food and drugs for higher income taxes for upper-income taxpayers. Republican Brett Geymann was victorious in the primary 54-31%. Like other Republicans who’ve carried the district, he carried the Beauregard Parish/Moss Bluff precincts with 56-58%, eked out a narrow 51% victory in Westlake, and received about 40% of the vote in the Lake Charles precincts.

Given the district’s history of supporting Republicans and future demographic trends favoring the Republicans in the northern fringes of the district, it was not surprising that Rep. Geymann was re-elected without opposition. Whenever he retires, we rate this district as “leans Republican.”

The Lake Charles area was in the northeast quadrant of Hurricane Rita and received quite a bit of wind damage. While it will take time for the area to rebuild, we have not seen an out migration from the area; in fact, the district has gained about 200 new voters since the hurricanes.