Louisiana's 6th congressional district

Louisiana's 6th congressional district
Current Representative		Bill Cassidy (R–Baton Rouge)
Distribution	75.48% urban, 24.52% rural
Population (2000)	638,324
Median income	$37,931
Ethnicity	63.7% White, 33.3% Black, 1.4% Asian, 1.6% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% other
Cook PVI	R+10

Louisiana's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located in south-central Louisiana, the district contains the state capital of Baton Rouge and its suburbs and the western half of the Florida Parishes and areas west and south of Baton Rouge sometimes associated with Acadiana.

The district is currently represented by Republican Bill Cassidy.

History

Since the 6th Congressional District's creation, its boundaries have migrated from a position astraddle the Mississippi River to completely east of the Mississippi River and more recently astraddle the river again.

For decades prior to 1974, the district was virtually coterminous with the Florida Parishes centered on Hammond. In 1974, the 6th Congressional District shed St. Tammany Parish to the 1st Congressional District, and since then several redistrictings have incrementally moved the 6th Congressional District's boundaries westward so that it has shed both Washington and Tangipahoa parishes (including Hammond, home of James H. Morrison, who represented the district for 24 years, the longest tenure of anyone ever to represent the district). Washington and Tangipahoa parishes switched, like St. Tammany Parish, to the strongly Republican 1st Congressional District.

With one out of every three residents being black, this district is the "blackest" district represented by a Republican.

List of representatives

Representative	Party	Years	District Home	Notes
District created March 4, 1875
Charles E. Nash	Republican	March 4, 1875 - March 3, 1877	Opelousas
Edward White Robertson	Democratic	March 4, 1877 - March 3, 1883	Baton Rouge
Edward Taylor Lewis	Democratic	March 4, 1883 - March 3, 1885	Opelousas	Installed after winning special election due to death of Rep-elect Andrew S. Herron
Alfred Briggs Irion	Democratic	March 4, 1885 - March 3, 1887	Marksville
Edward White Robertson	Democratic	March 4, 1887 - August 2, 1887	Baton Rouge	Died
Vacant		August 2, 1887 - December 5, 1887
Samuel Matthews Robertson	Democratic	December 5, 1887 - March 3, 1907	Baton Rouge
George Kent Favrot	Democratic	March 4, 1907 - March 3, 1909	Baton Rouge
Robert Charles Wickliffe	Democratic	March 4, 1909 - June 11, 1912	Saint Francisville	Died
Vacant		June 11, 1912 - November 5, 1912
Lewis Lovering Morgan	Democratic	November 5, 1912 - March 3, 1917	Covington
Jared Young Sanders	Democratic	March 4, 1917 - March 3, 1921	Bogalusa
George Kent Favrot	Democratic	March 4, 1921 - March 4, 1925	Baton Rouge
Bolivar E. Kemp	Democratic	March 4, 1925 - June 19, 1933	Amite	Died
Vacant		June 19, 1933 - May 1, 1934
Jared Y. Sanders, Jr.	Democratic	May 1, 1934 - January 3, 1937	Baton Rouge
John K. Griffith	Democratic	January 3, 1937 - January 3, 1941	Jackson, Louisiana
Jared Y. Sanders, Jr.	Democratic	January 3, 1941 - January 3, 1943	Baton Rouge
James H. Morrison	Democratic	January 3, 1943 - January 3, 1967	Hammond
John R. Rarick	Democratic	January 3, 1967 - January 3, 1975	Saint Francisville
Henson Moore	Republican	January 3, 1975 - January 3, 1987	Baton Rouge
Richard H. Baker	Republican	January 3, 1987 - February 2, 2008	Baker	Resigned
Vacant		February 2, 2008 - May 3, 2008
Don Cazayoux	Democratic	May 3, 2008 - January 3, 2009	New Roads
Bill Cassidy	Republican	January 3, 2009–Present	Baton Rouge	Incumbent

Recent Election Results

2002

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District Runoff Election (2002)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Richard H. Baker*	146,932	84.04%
	Libertarian	Rick Moscatello	27,898	15.96%
Totals			174,830	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Republican hold

2004

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District Election (2004)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Richard H. Baker*	188,980	72.24%
	Democratic	Rufus Craig, Jr.	50,642	19.36%
	Democratic	Edward "Scott" Galmon	21,987	8.41%
Totals			261,609	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Republican hold

2006

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District Election (2006)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Richard H. Baker*	94,658	82.81%
	Libertarian	Richard Fontanesi	19,648	17.19%
Totals			114,306	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Republican hold

2008

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District Special Election (May 3, 2008)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	Don Cazayoux	49,703	49.20%
	Republican	Woody Jenkins	46,746	46.78%
	Independent	Ashley Casey	3,718	3.68%
	Independent	Peter J. Aranyosi	448	0.44%
	Constitution	Randall T. Hayes	402	0.40%
Totals			101,017	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Democratic gain from Republican

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District General Election (2008)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Bill Cassidy	150,332	48.12%
	Democratic	Don Cazayoux*	125,886	40.29%
	Independent	Michael Jackson	36,198	11.59%
Totals			312,416	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Republican gain from Democratic

2010

Louisiana's 6th Congressional District Election (2010)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Bill Cassidy*	138,607	65.63%
	Democratic	Merritt E. McDonald, Sr.	72,577	34.37%
Totals			211,184	100.00%
Voter turnout			%
	Republican hold

References

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present