John LaBruzzo (R)
Term limited in 2015
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 5,342 (32%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 11,372 (68%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 4,245 (25%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 13,057 (75%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 16,516 (74%)
John Kerry (D) 5,538 (25%)
Others 218 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 16,806 (77%)
Chris John (D) 2,604 (12%)
Others 2,331 (11%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 4,014 (53%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 965 (12%)
Mike Francis (R) 811 (11%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 1,273 (17%)
Others 567 (7%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 10,754 (76%)
Walter Boasso (D) 1,190 (8%)
John Georges (I) 1,776 (13%)
Foster Campbell (D) 400 (3%)
Others 82 (1%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 2,491 (19%)
Mike Strain (R) 8,615 (64%)
Wayne Carter (R) 1,869 (14%)
Don Johnson (R) 489 (4%)

House District 81 includes a section of Metairie next to New Orleans on the Jefferson Parish side of the infamous 17th Street Canal. It is roughly bounded by the 17th Street Canal in the east, Causeway Boulevard in the west, Lake Pontchartrain in the north, and the Earhart Expressway in the south. It is the whitest legislative district in the entire state, with a 3% African-American voter population (up from 2% in 2003) concentrated in two precincts.

Besides being almost all-white, the district includes upper income neighborhoods near the Orleans Parish line and along Lake Pontchartrain. Interestingly, it also includes an old fishing village near the 17th Street Canal called Bucktown, which is now a mixture of shotgun houses, apartments, seafood restaurants, and expensive high-rises. Since the area is settled, it has seen little population growth in recent years, and in fact has lost 4% of its voters since the election, all of which has occurred since Katrina.

The demographics of the district are therefore favorable to Republican candidacies at all levels. In recent statewide elections, Republicans have typically received consistent 3 to 1 support here – Suzy Terrell’s 68% of the vote was relatively low, but that was probably because she was running against New Orleans native Mary Landrieu.

In terms of its legislative representation, the district is unique in that it has been a Republican stronghold for years, and all of its recent occupants have sought higher office, with varying levels of success. Charles Cusimano, originally elected in 1980 as a Democrat, was one of about a dozen legislators who switched parties in 1984. When he left in 1988 on his election to district judge, the race to succeed him generated national attention, as Democrat-turned-Republican former Klansman and #### David Duke defeated Republican John Treen (Dave Treen’s brother) by a razor-thin margin. Rep. Duke’s tenure, however, was brief, and during his legislative service, he unsuccessfully sought election to the U.S. Senate and Governor. In his landslide loss to Edwin Edwards in 1991, he even lost his own legislative district.

A very different Republican was elected in 1991 after Duke declined to run for re-election. David Vitter was elected with 68% of the vote in the primary, was unopposed in 1995, and left in 1999 upon election to Congress in a special election (he is currently Louisiana’s first elected Republican Senator). His resignation created a multi candidate race to succeed him, and Republican Jennifer Sneed was victorious in the runoff with 53% of the vote. She retired to run for (and get elected to) the Jefferson Parish Council in 2003. Her successor, Republican John LaBruzzo, won the 2003 runoff with 57% of the vote. Midway through his term, John Hainkel’s death created an open state Senate seat race, and Rep. LaBruzzo ran for the seat, placing 5th in a 7 candidate field.

Rep. LaBruzzo is allowed two more full terms under the state’s term-limits law, and was unopposed for his 2007 re-election effort. Based on his and other former representatives’ history, it’s not unlikely he may seek another office before 2015. However, we see that he should have no trouble being re-elected if he stays in the state House. If he leaves to seek another office, we rate this seat as a “Republican hold.”

A consideration for Rep. LaBruzzo as he ponders his political future is whether there will even be a District 81 after the 2010 census. This is because there was some damage from Hurricane Katrina in the form of flooding (mainly in Old Metairie and near Lake Pontchartrain) and wind damage. Even though the less flooded areas in the district were directly across the parish line from the 17th Street Canal levee breech, we foresee modest out migration from Jefferson Parish. This has already had an impact in the district; there has been a loss of over 1,400 voters since Katrina – the biggest loss in absolute numbers of any state House district in Jefferson Parish. If this out migration were to continue, Jefferson Parish may lose one or more state House seats – it lost the District 88 seat after the 2001 reapportionment.