Joe McPherson (D)
Term limited in 2011
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 14,141 (49%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 14,524 (51%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 17,310 (60%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 11,669 (40%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 24,602 (59%)
John Kerry (D) 16,650 (40%)
Others 539 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 19,358 (50%)
Chris John (D) 12,264 (32%)
Others 7,370 (18%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 3,886 (21%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 6,258 (33%)
Mike Francis (R) 5,417 (29%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 1,464 (8%)
Others 1,804 (9%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 14,228 (50%)
Walter Boasso (D) 6,256 (22%)
John Georges (I) 4,172 (15%)
Foster Campbell (D) 3,275 (11%)
Others 577 (2%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 11,790 (44%)
Mike Strain (R) 9,914 (37%)
Wayne Carter (R) 3,599 (13%)
Don Johnson (R) 1,713 (6%)

Senate District 29 covers all of Rapides Parish except for a 95% white section in the northern fringes of the parish. This exclusion has the effect of maximizing the influence of the African-American population largely concentrated in inner-city Alexandria and in towns along the Red River. In practical terms, this means that while the Rapides Parish electorate is 27% African-American, African -Americans comprise 32% (up from 31% several years ago) of the district’s voters.

The district itself is comprised of three parts of Rapides Parish: inner city Alexandria, the suburban fringe north and west of Alexandria, and the rural areas south and west of town. It is an area that lost population in the 1980s and 1990s, but has seen modest (nearly 2%, slightly less than the statewide average) growth in the number of registered voters in the past few years.

Because the most conservative parts of Rapides Parish (Bush received 84% of the vote in these northern precincts in 2004) were placed in adjacent state Senate districts, the district leans Republican, but Democrats are competitive here. While Bush, David Vitter, and “Bobby” Jindal (in 2007) received 59, 50, and 50% support here, Suzy Terrell narrowly carried the district with 51% of the vote, and Kathleen Blanco received a solid 60% of the vote here in her come-from-behind victory in the 2003 gubernatorial runoff.

In legislative elections in recent memory, this marginally conservative district has elected and re-elected populist Democrat Joe McPherson. He was initially elected in the 1983 runoff by defeating two-term incumbent Democrat “Ned” Randolph (Randolph is currently Alexandria’s mayor). Against tough challenges from Republicans in 1987 and 1991, he was re-elected with 51 and 57% of the vote, respectively. He left in 1995 to run unsuccessfully for an open Public Service Commission seat. Though he lost that race 53-47%, he still received 54% of the vote in the Rapides Parish precincts he represented. His successor, Democrat B.G. Dyess, retired after serving one term, and McPherson ran for his old seat and was elected in the 1999 primary 50-45% over Republican state representative Randy Wiggins. In 2003, however, McPherson only drew minor opposition and was re-elected with 79% of the vote. Against the same opponent in 2007, he was re-elected with a reduced but still comfortable 69% of the vote.

Sen. McPherson is term-limited in 2011, and we expect a competitive race to succeed him, since there is a Republican base in the suburban fringe southwest of MacArthur Drive.