INCUMBENT: Lenar Whitney (Republican)

DESCRIPTION:  House District 53 is in eastern Terrebonne Parish and contains territory all the way from precincts just to the north of Houma down to the Gulf of Mexico, as well as an adjacent precinct in Lafourche Parish along the Terrebonne Parish border. This is a district where most of its terrain is swamp.

DISTRICT MAP:

District Map

RED/BLUE RATING (using 2008, 2012, and 2014 elections): 63% Republican

JMCEL’s SUMMARY: House District 53 is one of several districts in Louisiana whose politics were affected by the 2010 BP oil spill. Before the spill, this was a swing district: since it includes more of Houma’s blue collar neighborhoods than District 52 to the west, it voted Republican at the top of the ballot, gave crucial support to Mary Landrieu and Kathleen Blanco in past elections, and always voted Democratic in legislative races. After the oil spill/drilling moratorium, David Vitter and Bill Cassidy both got over 60% of the district vote, and when the seat opened up in 2011 due to term limits, three Republicans ran, and Lenar Whitney was victorious in the runoff with 59% of the vote. She is allowed to seek two more terms. While she shouldn’t have re-election problems, this district has had contested elections for years, with no one getting over 60% of the vote.