Incumbent – Jared Brossett (D – Term Limited in 2019)

District Map

House District 97

Vote History

Current District

House District 97 is located in New Orleans and is shaped like a wedge, covering territory between the London Avenue Canal, the Industrial Canal, Lake Pontchartrain, and the Mississippi River – south of I-10, the district travels down Almonaster to pick up some of Bywater. This is a district with a solid black majority: in 2003, 77% of its voters were black; today, 82% are, although there are small concentrations of whites in Gentilly and Bywater.

This is a district where Republicans aren’t even a consideration: the black majority, combined with a white liberal voting bloc in Bywater, makes this a district where Democrats can regularly expect 90% of the vote. 

Politically, this district has had very steady legislative representation: Between 1984 and 2006: black Democrat Arthur Morrell represented the district, and he resigned in 2006 to become clerk of the New Orleans Criminal Court. His son J.P. was narrowly elected in 2006 to replace him, and served until 2008, when he was elected to an open state senate seat. In the special election held in 2009, Chief of Staff/legislative assistant Jared Brosett was elected in the runoff with 61%. (UPDATED 9/9/2011) He is allowed to serve two more terms, and was re-elected without opposition in 2011.

New District

While reapportionment was a time of political carnage in Metro New Orleans, it was especially brutal in districts like this – the London Avenue Canal breach during Hurricane Katrina occurred in the district. Massive depopulation resulted in the aftermath of this catastrophe, and the district was 40% under populated. Fortunately for the district, some of the carnage was avoided when Juan La Fonta, who represented a neighboring district, decided not to seek re-election, and his district was eliminated. District 97 was able to pick up most of this territory. It also picked up some precincts in Gentilly and Midcity, while losing the precincts south of Florida Avenue. 

These changes have resulted in a more compact district that is now shaped like a funnel. The district lines now are between City Park and the Industrial Canal north of Florida Avenue. South of Florida, it now includes a finger of territory roughly between Broad and Carrollton all the way to I-10. This new district is now 74% black (down from 82% before reapportionment), but the new white precincts in Midcity are every bit as liberal as the ones in Bywater that were removed from the district. Rep. Brossett (or any other black Democrat) shouldn’t have any trouble getting elected here.