INCUMBENT: Vacant (Alfred Williams (Democrat) passed away August 4, 2015)

DESCRIPTION: House District 61 is located in inner-city Baton Rouge and was designed to be a black majority district when it was first created in 1983. It includes some blue collar neighborhoods along Plank Road and South Choctaw Drive, as well as the Eden Park neighborhood and an area around the former Bon Marche Mall informally known as “Mall City.” It then dips south of Florida Boulevard to take in established “garden district” neighborhoods along Government Street.

DISTRICT MAP:

District Map

RED/BLUE RATING (using 2008, 2012, and 2014 elections): 85% Democratic

JMCEL’s SUMMARY: House District 61 was drawn to be a black majority district three decades ago, and due to demographic changes in neighborhoods along Florida Boulevard, that black majority has increased from 67% a decade ago to 75% today. This by itself would allow Democrats to dominate the district, although that dominance is further reinforced by the liberal political attitudes of its white neighborhoods: in these white majority precincts, Mary Landrieu received 55% of the vote, while Mitt Romney only eked out a 49-45% plurality over Barack Obama. The district has had steady representation since its creation in 1983, as only four legislators have represented the district. The current legislator is Alfred Williams, who was elected when the seat opened up in 2011 due to term limits. He was victorious in the runoff with 53% of the vote against a member of the East Baton Rouge Parish Metrocouncil, and his victory was clinched by getting 59% of the vote in the white majority precincts. (UPDATED 8/4/2015) While he is allowed to serve two more terms, he passed away on August 4, 2015.