Harold Ritchie (D)
Term limited in 2015
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 5,856 (53%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 5,081 (47%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 7,820 (57%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 5,839 (43%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 9,951 (61%)
John Kerry (D) 6,097 (37%)
Others 265 (2%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 8,949 (59%)
Chris John (D) 3,736 (25%)
Others 2,545 (16%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 1,859 (31%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 1,822 (30%)
Mike Francis (R) 795 (13%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 926 (15%)
Others 685 (11%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 6,307 (59%)
Walter Boasso (D) 1,558 (14%)
John Georges (I) 1,487 (14%)
Foster Campbell (D) 1,143 (11%)
Others 282 (2%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 4,228 (42%)
Mike Strain (R) 4,202 (42%)
Wayne Carter (R) 1,256 (13%)
Don Johnson (R) 303 (3%)

House District 75 is located in the corner of the Florida Parishes and contains nearly all of Washington Parish, plus two precincts in northeast St. Tammany Parish. The political tone of this largely rural (and population losing) district is set by Washington Parish, as it has cast about 95% of the district’s vote and has a moderate (27%) and stable African-American voting population. Accordingly, Washington Parish (and the district) tends to support Democrats in local elections and Republicans in national elections, but neither party having an overwhelming advantage – in recent statewide elections, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have exceeded 61% of the vote here.

Surprisingly for a rural area, the district has tended to have contested races more often than not. When longtime Democrat “Buster” Sheridan was defeated in 1987 by (then) Democratic physician Jerry Thomas 60-40%, he sought a rematch in 1991, but received the same 40% of the vote. Thomas’ 1995 opponent, Democrat Ben Nevers, received 43% of the vote in the primary. Thomas then resigned in 1999 after he was elected to an open state Senate seat in the area –as a Republican. This time, Ben Nevers was victorious in the special election runoff with 51% of the vote (and was unopposed in the regular election). He only served a term, because Senator Thomas declined to run for re-election to his Senate seat in 2003, likely because of the negative fallout from being arrested in 2002 for engaging in lewd conduct during a police raid at an adult bookstore in New Orleans. Nevers was then replaced by Democrat Harold Ritchie, who was also elected in the runoff with 51% of the vote.

Representative Ritchie was unopposed for re-election and can serve in the House until 2015. When he retires, we believe that Democrats would be favored, but not overwhelmingly, to hold the seat.