Incumbent – Karen St. Germain (D – Term Limited in 2015)

District Map

House District 60

Vote History

Current District

The River Parishes are a unique combination of plantation heritage, petrochemical plants, and sugarcane farms. This area has long been a Democratic stronghold. House District 60 is a microcosm of the River Parishes. It is located on the western side of the Mississippi River and includes parts of Iberville, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, and Assumption Parishes. It contains a significant 35% black voter registration, which when combined with the significant blue-collar labor vote in the district provides Democratic majorities in nearly every election.

Politically, this is a Democratic district, although in the last two election cycles, Republican candidates at the top of the ballot have been competitive here. At the local level, Democrats still dominate, although this district has typically had contested elections until recently. From 1987 to 1993, Charlie Melancon represented the district, and resigned in 1993 when he became president of the Sugar Cane League. He was succeeded by Audrey McCain, who was narrowly victorious in the 1993 special election and was nearly defeated in 1995. Her luck ran out in 1999, when Emma Devillier defeated her, although Devillier was herself defeated by another female Democrat, Karen St. Germain, in 2003. However, Rep. St Germain was re-elected in 2007 without opposition. She is allowed to serve one more term.

New District

Reapportionment was not mot much of an issue in the River Parishes. The district was 2% over the population of the “ideal” district, and with two minority districts already drawn along the River Parishes, the numbers were not there to draw another “majority minority” district on this side of the river. Instead, the district contracted some. It lost its precincts in Ascension and West Baton Rouge Parish, and it shed the northern portion of Iberville Parish around Maringouin. It also picked up some new areas: in Iberville, it picked up Saint Gabriel and more of the west bank between Plaquemine and White Castle. In Assumption, it picked up most of the rest of the parish. These changes caused voter registration to increase from 35 to 38%, and put the district further out of reach for Republicans. This is one white majority rural district that Democrats should be able to hold pretty easily.