INCUMBENT: Gary Smith (Democrat)

DESCRIPTION: Senate District 19 is located in the outer fringes of the New Orleans metropolitan area, and takes in parts of four parishes: an area of Kenner in Jefferson Parish near the Louis Armstrong airport, a portion of Lafourche Parish along US Highway 90, all of St Charles Parish but a single precinct, and portions of Saint John Parish in and around LaPlace. Most of the district’s terrain is swampy, but this is a district that is a mixture of urban, suburban, and rural.

DISTRICT MAP:

District Map

RED/BLUE RATING (using 2008, 2012, and 2014 elections): 53% Republican

JMCEL’s SUMMARY: Senate District 19 has for years existed as a district at the outer edge of the New Orleans metropolitan area with a basic configuration of Lafourche, Saint Charles, and Saint John Parishes. Given this configuration, the district is a study in contrasts, as the petrochemical industry (anyone traveling down I-10 between Laplace and New Orleans has undoubtedly seen the Shell Norco refinery in the distance) has brought high paying jobs to an area that is mostly swamps. Furthermore, the area has seen some suburbanization from New Orleans, although the swampy terrain limits the amount of suburban development.

Politically, this is a swing district: it typically votes Republican in Presidential contests, while it splits its ticket in statewide races, and the district has an affection for former US Senator (and New Orleans native) Mary Landrieu. In legislative races, Democrats have been dominant here for years, and the addition of black neighborhoods in Kenner after the 2011 reapportionment further strengthens the base of support available to a Democratic legislative candidate (currently, the district has a 34% black voter registration)

The district has also been one that has had stable representation, and rarely does the district see closely contested races: the last legislator to represent the district was Democrat Joel Chaisson, who (like his father before him) served in the House, and in 1999, decided to challenge an six term incumbent state senator who was held to 52% of the vote in 1995, and he was successful. Senator Chaisson then served for three terms and was selected by Governor Jindal to be Senate President for the 2008-2012 term. While Chaisson was term limited in 2011, he was able to draw a district that was even safer for a Democratic candidate by shedding territory in Lafourche Parish and tacking on territory in and around the New Orleans airport. This clearly helped, as the Democrats ran representative Gary Smith (who succeeded Chaisson in the House in 1999), who defeated his Republican opponent 60-40% in the 2011 primary, carrying all but Lafourche Parish. Senator Smith is allowed to seek two more terms, and is likely safe from Republican competition, as the district gave only 55% of the vote to Mitt Romney, while Mary Landrieu carried the district with 50.5%.