Incumbent – “Dee” Richard  (I – Term Limited in 2019)

District Map

House District 55

Vote History

Current District

District 55 is a “T-shaped” district that covers portions of Lafourche Parish between Lockport and Thibodaux (home of Nicholls State). Demographically, this is a district with a modest 18% black voter registration, which is slightly up from 17% when the lines were last drawn. 

Of the two Lafourche Parish districts (District 54 in South Lafourche Parish is the other one), this district historically was more Republican, although it similarly tended to vote Republican more in “top of the ballot” races. Recently, the unpopularity of Democrats in smaller towns, combined with the drilling moratorium, has caused this district to lurch to the right in recent elections, as the GOP carried the district in the five statewide elections held here in 2008 and 2010.

In legislative elections, this Lafourche district (unlike its neighbor to the south) re-elects its incumbents with little incident. This was the district that Billy Tauzin (who was a Democrat back then) represented from 1972 to 1980. He was replaced by Democrat Leon Borne, who served for two terms until he was upset in the 1987 primary by Democrat Warren Triche. Triche served for 20 years until he was term limited out in 2007.

In the open seat race to succeed Rep. Triche, four candidates sought the seat. Thibodaux Councilman “Dee” Richard ran as an Independent and finished first in the primary with 41%. He then defeated Democratic Parish Council Member Mike Matherne 59-41%. Interestingly, his support was pretty broad across the district, as he carried all but four precincts. Rep. Richard is allowed to serve two more terms.

New District

Redistricting was pretty simple in this part of the state: the district was 12% over the population of an “ideal” district, and there simply aren’t large enough concentrations of minorities in Houma or Thibodaux to draw another black district. So the district lines were smoothed out and pared back: a section of Lafourche Parish between Raceland and Kraemer north of US 90 was added to the district from District 54: these precincts were 24% black and voted 61-34% for David Vitter. District 55 also gave up some precincts between Raceland and the Terrebonne Parish line along US 90 that were 5% black and voted 72-22% for David Vitter. Finally, a single precinct near Thibodaux on the Assumption Parish line was moved over to District 51 (represented by Joe Harrison) – this precinct voted 66-28% for David Vitter and is 10% black. 

These changes increased the black population from 18 to 21% and made the district slightly more Democratic. Rep. Richard shouldn’t have problems getting re-elected, given the history of the district, but this is a seat a Republican could pick up when he vacates the seat.