INCUMBENT: Richie Burford (Republican)

DESCRIPTION: House District 7 is a district in northwest Louisiana that contains portions of three parishes (Caddo, Desoto, and Sabine) and is a mixture of suburban and rural precincts, although a majority (54%) of the vote is cast in Caddo Parish.

DISTRICT MAP:

District Map

RED/BLUE RATING (using 2008, 2012, and 2014 elections): 69% Republican

JMCEL’s SUMMARY: House District 7 epitomizes the gradual acceptance of Republican candidates at the legislative level, as it consistently voted for Republicans in statewide elections, but didn’t switch to Republican at the legislative level until it was an open seat race in 2007. Redistricting further strengthened the district’s Republican tendencies by removing black majority precincts in and around Mansfield to create a black majority district between Shreveport and Natchitoches. While the current representative (Richie Burford) was comfortably re-elected in 2011 and can seek another term, he decided to vacate the seat by running for an open state senate seat in the area. His seat almost will certainly will remain in Republican hands.