INCUMBENT: Steve Carter (Republican)

DESCRIPTION: House District 68 is located in Baton Rouge and contains a mixture of established and newer neighborhoods between Jefferson Highway and Perkins Road from the LSU Lakes all the way down to (but not including) the Country Club of Louisiana. The overall tone of the district is affluent, although it also contains some middle and lower income neighborhoods.

DISTRICT MAP:

District map

RED/BLUE RATING (using 2008, 2012, and 2014 elections): 61% Republican

JMCEL’s SUMMARY: District 68 has a reputation as a high income, Republican district, although that picture is complicated by the fact that you have (1) black majority neighborhoods (of all income levels) along the entirety of Perkins Road, and (2) a notieable white liberal constituency in the neighborhoods close to LSU and City Park. These two factors result in a district that has a decided, but not an overwhelming, Republican edge. Accordingly, this was the last white majority district in East Baton Rouge Parish to elect a Republican, which it did in 2007 (although technically, its previous representative changed parties in 2005). The current representative (Steve Carter) is allowed to serve one more term, and while he shouldn’t have any re-election troubles, there are just enough liberal Democrats in this district for this to be a potentially contested seat every election cycle.