William Daniel (R)
Term limited in 2007
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 6,514 (47%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 7,302 (53%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 5,495 (39%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 8,500 (61%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 11,470 (59%)
John Kerry (D) 7,780 (40%)
Others 174 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 10,470 (55%)
Chris John (D) 5,035 (27%)
Others 3,506 (18%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 5,603 (69%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 1,417 (18%)
Mike Francis (R) 741 (9%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 110 (1%)
Others 200 (2%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 7,703 (59%)
Walter Boasso (D) 2,035 (16%)
John Georges (I) 1,605 (12%)
Foster Campbell (D) 1,485 (11%)
Others 139 (2%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 3,820 (31%)
Mike Strain (R) 5,880 (47%)
Wayne Carter (R) 2,312 (19%)
Don Johnson (R) 445 (4%)

The Baton Rouge area is one part of the state without a well-defined image. It is inhabited by a “gumbo” of different groups: a large black minority of all economic strata, a significant professional population, the influence of state government, the presence of academia, the religious conservative influence of several large churches, a significant Catholic minority, and a large and relatively well-paid blue collar workforce employed by the petrochemical industry. As a result, both parties are competitive here. Republicans have the edge overall, and hold nearly all of the white majority legislative seats in the area.

District 68 is a diverse district, but is much less blue-collar than the rest of Metropolitan Baton Rouge. District 68 is also a growing district: it gained voters at more than twice the statewide rate, and contains portions of Baton Rouge along either side of Perkins Road from the LSU Lakes. It includes some of the city’s pricier subdivisions like Bocage, Lakeshore Drive, Walden, and Five Oaks (near the Country Club of Louisiana). However, it would not be correct to think of this district as heavily Republican. Republicans carry the district in statewide and national elections, but not overwhelmingly: John Kerry received 40% of the vote here in the 2004 Presidential race, and Mary Landrieu received 47% in her 2002 re-election effort.

Democrats are competitive here for two reasons. There is a significant 22% African-American voting population of all economic strata – from lower-income Valley Park to middle-income Mayfair to the affluent neighborhoods like Concord Estates/Stratford Place. Additionally, the “Garden District” neighborhoods near LSU like Southdowns and the Lakeshore/City Park area tend to prefer more moderate candidates. Rep. Daniel, in fact, remarked in a 2005 interview with PoliticsLa.com that the district overall is “fiscally conservative, but moderate in other areas.”

Democrats were also competitive for years because they ran attractive, well-financed candidates with enough of a moderate to conservative image to win. Democrat Kevin Reilly (who made the infamous remark in 1985 about Louisiana being a “banana republic”) represented the district from 1971 to 1987. His son Sean defeated a Republican in the 1987 runoff with 53% and went on to serve two terms. When Sean Reilly retired in 1995, wealthy oil executive William Daniel eked out a 51% victory in the 1995 runoff against a Republican and was re-elected with little incident in 1999 and 2003. After Hurricane Katrina hit, however, Rep. Daniel was one of several House members who switched to the Republican party.

Rep. Daniel is term-limited in 2007 and, in anticipation of this, ran for an open state Senate seat vacated by Jay Dardenne when he was elected Secretary of State in 2006. However, political newcomer Dr. Bill Cassidy upset Rep. Daniel 58-38% in the primary. From prior elections, it would seem that Democrats would make an effort to compete for this open seat, but after qualifying, three Republicans (and no Democrats) sought the seat. All three candidates, Steve Carter, Jay Lyles, and Kyle Ardoin, are political newcomers, but Kyle Ardoin curiously sought the Parish President’s office in neighboring West Baton Rouge as a Democrat in 1999.