Incumbent – Chris Hazel (R – Term Limited in 2019)

District Map

House Disrtict 27

Vote History

Current District

House District 27 is one of two House districts that contain the suburban precincts of Alexandria. For years, it only contained the areas of Rapides Parish north of the Red River. Sluggish population growth in the 1990s in Rapides, however, caused the district to expand across the Red River. This meant that the district picked up rural precincts in the southern portion of Rapides between Vernon Parish and Cheneyville. North of the Red River, it contains nearly every precinct except for some Pineville precincts and a rural precinct bordering LaSalle Parish.

District 27 itself has a low 8% black voter registration, which is virtually unchanged since the last time the lines were drawn. Politically, this is a solidly Republican district in Presidential and (usually) in statewide races, although Bobby Jindal’s loss in 2003 against Kathleen Blanco was due to the 51% of the vote he got here in that election. Recently, though, the district has been producing 3 to 1 margins for Republicans in statewide races.

This district until recently elected Democrats, although it has had a series of closely fought elections, with no one receiving more than 62% of the vote. From 1972 to 1992, Carol Gunter represented the district. But remarks he made during an abortion debate extolling the virtues of incest probably contributed to his solid 57-43% defeat by Democrat Rick Farrar in 1991. Rep. Farrar was then defeated in the 1995 Republican landslide by Republican Randy Wiggins 51-49%. Randy Wiggins left after one term in a nearly successful run for the state Senate, and the vacant seat was recaptured by Rick Farrar 55-45% over a Republican school board member. Rep. Farrar was re-elected in 2003 with 61% of the vote against an Independent. However, Rep. Farrar’s 2007 re-election bid ran into the twin headwinds of the Bobby Jindal campaign and aggressive opposition from Republican assistant district attorney Chris Hazel, resulting in a thumping 62-38% loss. Rep. Hazel is allowed to serve two more terms.

New District

Reapportionment in Rapides Parish was pretty simple: the district was 11% overpopulated, and the demographics supported having one black majority district centered on the inner portions of Alexandria and Pineville, with the remaining two districts on either side of the Red River. Accordingly, District 27 lost most precincts south of the Red River, only keeping three precincts around Cheneyville. It also picked up some precincts in northeast Pineville, as well as a rural precinct near LaSalle Parish. These changes had almost no political impact, and the black voter registration remained at 8%. Republicans should be able to maintain this seat without much trouble.