Clara Baudoin (D)
Term limited in 2007
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 5,204 (48%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 5,746 (52%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 8,804 (59%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 6,098 (41%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 11,788 (61%)
John Kerry (D) 7,312 (38%)
Others 163 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 8,205 (43%)
Chris John (D) 8,934 (47%)
Others 1,779 (10%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 1,562 (18%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 2,361 (28%)
Mike Francis (R) 3,417 (40%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 592 (6%)
Others 644 (8%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 7,031 (50%)
Walter Boasso (D) 2,566 (18%)
John Georges (I) 2,175 (16%)
Foster Campbell (D) 2,027 (14%)
Others 204 (2%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 5,954 (45%)
Mike Strain (R) 5,295 (40%)
Wayne Carter (R) 1,150 (9%)
Don Johnson (R) 759 (6%)

South Louisiana will play a major role in determining what party controls the Louisiana House in 2007. The Almanac of American Politics recently wrote about South Louisiana’s independent voting patterns, “For years (northern Louisiana) wanted nothing to do with national Democrats, while Cajuns tend to mull it over.”
House race 39 is a virtual microcosm of the “Battle for the House”. It covers most of Lafayette parish north of I-10, and is centered on the town of Carencro. The district also includes the southern fringes of St. Landry parish and two precincts in St. Martin. It has a relatively low population of black voters (23%), and the number of registered voters in the district has been increasing at a rapid rate for the past three years. Fueling this growth is suburban movement along I-49 in Lafayette and Saint Landry.

District 39 is an area that supported President Bush with 61% of the vote. However, in state wide elections for Senator and Governor the results have been more mixed, especially when Acadian-based Democrats are on the ballot. For instance, Lafayette resident Kathleen Blanco received 59% of the vote in this area during the Governors race, and congressman Chris John, who represents this area, carried the district (47-43%) in last years Senate race.

Clara Baudoin, who is currently term limited, represents District 39. She is a Democrat from Carencro in Lafayette Parish. Baudoin was first elected in 1995, upsetting longtime incumbent “La La” Lalonde. In 1999 she was narrowly re-elected in a runoff over (then) Carencro Mayor Tommy Angelle. However, she was more comfortably re-elected in the 2003 with 59% of the vote.

There are two political crosscurrents here that lead us to rate this district as a tossup in 2007. On the one hand there is a tendency to support Acadiana-based Democrats in local and state elections. However, Lafayette Parish has been leaning more Republican over the last decade. These crosscurrents put this district in play in 2007. There are three Democrats and a Republican running. The Democrats are former mayor of Carencro Tommy Angelle (who ran for the seat in 1999), Carencro Councilman Bobby Badon, and local architect and political newcomer, Stephen Ortego. The Republican is former state Representative (and former Democrat) “La La” Lalonde, who was defeated by Rep. Baudoin in 1995.

External Links
Bobby Badon’s Official Website
Raymond “La La” Lalonde’s Official Website
Stephen Ortego’s Official Website