Ben Nevers (D)
Term limited in 2015
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 14,844 (48%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 15,987 (52%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 21,253 (52%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 19,415 (48%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 32,838 (64%)
John Kerry (D) 17,708 (35%)
Others 692 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 10,373 (63%)
Chris John (D) 31,186 (21%)
Others 7,727 (16%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 6,052 (34%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 4,825 (27%)
Mike Francis (R) 2,807 (16%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 2,394 (13%)
Others 1,764 (10%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 23,360 (61%)
Walter Boasso (D) 5,711 (15%)
John Georges (I) 5,152 (13%)
Foster Campbell (D) 3,574 (9%)
Others 757 (2%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 12,772 (35%)
Mike Strain (R) 18,894 (52%)
Wayne Carter (R) 3,893 (11%)
Don Johnson (R) 1,038 (3%)

The 1995 Louisiana Senatorial elections brought a Republican presence to the state Senate for the first time, as several long-time Democratic incumbents were defeated by reform-minded Republicans. District 12 was one of those districts that contributed to the surge.

Senate District 12 itself is spread out over all or parts of four parishes in the eastern corner of the state. It has a split personality, as the rural, majority African-American precincts in St. Helena and northern Tangipahoa parishes provide a Democratic base of support. Washington Parish is a rural majority white parish which leans Democratic, but not overwhelmingly. The nearly all white portion of St. Tammany roughly north of I-12 can be counted on to support Republican candidates. Recent demographic trends favor the Republicans, as the St. Helena/Washington Parish portions of the district have actually lost voters, while Tangipahoa and especially St. Tammany have gained from New Orleans suburban growth. Overall, the district has a modest and steady (23%) African-American population. It has grown at a healthy 7% rate since the last election, but all of the increase and then some came from St. Tammany (16% increase) and Tangipahoa (9% increase).

Politically, District 12 can be counted on to support Republicans in national races, while being more closely divided in statewide elections, and leaning Democratic in legislative races. While President Bush received 64-35% support and David Vitter (its Congressman for 5 years) received 63-21% support, Suzy Terrell and Kathleen Blanco both received the same 52% of the vote here. This swing nature of the district can directly be attributed to the level of support Republicans received in the more rural precincts of the district. In 2007, the “swing” was heavily in Bobby Jindal’s direction, as his constant campaigning in the rural areas enabled him to post double digit increases in his support in Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes, ultimately carrying the district with an impressive 61% of the vote.

The swing nature of the district has also been reflected in its representation in the Louisiana Senate. For decades, the district was represented by Democrat B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn, whose lowest re-election percentage of 65% was received in 1991. Changing demographics, disgust at the Edwards administration, and Rayburn’s connection to a local video poker scandal combined to unseat Rayburn 51-49% in 1995. The victor, Republican Phil Short, served only 3 years, resigning his position to take a job with the Marines in Washington. He was succeeded by state Representative Jerry Thomas from Bogalusa, who switched to the Republican Party for the race. He served for 5 years, and chose not to run for re-election in 2003 after an incident in 2002 where he was arrested for engaging in lewd conduct during a police raid at an adult bookstore in New Orleans. Thomas was succeeded by Democratic state Representative Ben Nevers of Washington Parish, who had a solid 43-21% lead over Republican David Lindsey in the primary. Because Democrats received the bulk of the remaining vote (particularly in Democratic-leaning St. Helena and Tangipahoa Parishes), Lindsey decided to withdraw. 

Senator Nevers is not term-limited until 2015 and was unopposed in 2007. However, he needs to be mindful of the district’s changing demographics for future races. The parishes likely to support him, St. Helena and Washington, cast 41% of the vote when he was elected, and now cast 38% of the vote. And portions of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa north of I-12 will probably continue to be the new home for people leaving the more flood-prone areas of the New Orleans metropolitan area.