INCUMBENT: Barbara Norton (Democrat)

DESCRIPTION: House District 3 is in northwest Louisiana and is located in southwest Shreveport. The district was originally created in 1981 to be a black majority district, and it includes black portions of Shreveport west of I-49, south of I-20, and north of the Inner Loop.

DISTRICT MAP:

District Map

RED/BLUE RATING (using 2008, 2012, and 2014 elections): 93% Democratic

JMCEL’s SUMMARY: House District 3 is one of the most Democratic districts in the entire state, and Republicans are lucky to get even 10% of the district vote in contested elections. Legislatively, this district has had turbulent politics for over a decade, with no one getting more than 56% of the vote. The current legislator is Democrat Barbara Norton, who was elected in 2007 when term limits created an open seat, although she also ran in 2003 and received 48% of the vote. After a 56% primary win that year, she got three opponents in her 2011 re-election, and was forced into a runoff, which she won with 56%. Rep. Norton is allowed to serve one more term, but given that the last three elections have been strongly contested, she can expect a stiff challenge this fall.