Gary Smith (D)
Term limited in 2011
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 6,718 (52%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 6,182 (48%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 7,362 (47%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 8,304 (53%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 11,105 (57%)
John Kerry (D) 8,347 (42%)
Others 217 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 9,914 (54%)
Chris John (D) 4,262 (23%)
Others 4,172 (23%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 1,913 (34%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 1,580 (28%)
Mike Francis (R) 751 (14%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 890 (16%)
Others 435 (8%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 7,868 (56%)
Walter Boasso (D) 1,764 (12%)
John Georges (I) 3,519 (25%)
Foster Campbell (D) 734 (5%)
Others 285 (2%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 5,867 (45%)
Mike Strain (R) 4,734 (36%)
Wayne Carter (R) 1,951 (15%)
Don Johnson (R) 623 (5%)

As you are leaving New Orleans heading west towards Baton Rouge on I-10, the swamp abruptly begins about a mile past the New Orleans airport. District 56 covers this territory, and includes St. Charles Parish except for a few Republican precincts in Mimosa Park. It also includes the portion of St. John Parish on the east side of LaPlace.

District 56 is a swing district. It tends to vote the same way as the state of Louisiana does, giving Mary Landrieu and George Bush the same percentage as they received statewide. It also gave an absolute majority of the vote to David Vitter like he received statewide. However, the district gave Bobby Jindal 53% of the vote in 2003 and an impressive 56% of the vote in 2007 – likely because he had appeal to New Orlenians as the “cosmopolitan” candidate, and the district is within the New Orleans suburban orbit.

Demographically, the district has a moderate (28%) and steady African-American voter influence, with identical percentages in both parishes. It has also grown faster than the statewide rate, with over 6% growth since 2003, with almost all of the growth taking place in St. Charles Parish.

For over 20 years, the seat alternated between Democrats Ralph Miller and Joel Chaisson. Then Joel Chaisson’s son defeated Rep. Miller in the 1991 runoff, and held the seat for two terms before successfully challenging the incumbent state senator in 1999. A Republican challenged Rep. Chaisson in 1995, but only received 36% of the vote. When the House seat opened up in 1999. Democrat Gary Smith of Norco (the Shell refinery town) was elected with 57% in the runoff against a fellow Democrat. He was unopposed in 2003.

Representative Smith has had little trouble with holding the seat, and this year, has one Democratic opponent - “Ram” Ramachandran. When Rep. Smith is term-limited in 2011, we see this as a race as a tossup between the parties, particularly since St. Charles Parish continues to receive suburban growth from metro New Orleans. This growth is favorable to the Republicans, and while party registration of the new voters is about 57% Independent, the remaining new voters have registered Republican. 

There was some damage from the hurricanes, since the eastern edge of the district touches the edge of the New Orleans metropolitan area. Because the worst damage was just to the east, the district has gained nearly 600 voters since the storm, and is poised for future growth, as it sits at the edge of metropolitan settlement.