INCUMBENT: Fred Mills (Republican)

DESCRIPTION: Senate District 22 is located in Acadiana, and includes the southeastern portion of Saint Landry Parish, most of Saint Martin Parish, a portion of Lafayette Parish in and around the suburb of Broussard, and most of Iberia Parish.

DISTRICT MAP:

District Map

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

JMCEL’s SUMMARY: If there were one state Senate district that best fit the stereotypical essence of Louisiana (outside of New Orleans, of course), it would likely be Senate District 22, as swampy terrain, plantations, sugarcane, and the oil industry are all present here. While historically this was a district comprised only of Iberia and Saint Martin Parishes, the 2011 reapportionment pushed this district northwards towards Krotz Springs and Port Barre in Saint Landry Parish, while also tacking on the suburbanizing town of Broussard in Lafayette Parish. Still, 51% of the vote is cast in Iberia Parish, while Saint Martin accounts for another 39%.

Politically, the district’s modest 27% black voter registration gives it a Republican lean, although it once had an affection for Acadiana-based Democrats like Edwin Edwards, John Breaux, and Kathleen Blanco. What changed the district’s political personality was a combination of social issues, perceived hostility of Democrats against the oil industry (which intensified after the 2010 drilling moratorium), and suburbanization from Lafayette; in recent elections, both Mitt Romney and Bill Cassidy received 2:1 support from the district.

This political movement has also been apparent in the district’s Senate representation: for years, it was represented by Democrats with little incident until an incumbent state senator (Craig Romero) switched parties in 1995 right before the filing deadline, and (surprisingly at that time) there was no electoral downside against what he did, as he never received opposition the three times he was on the ballot, but he was term limited out in 2007.

There was a heated race to succeed him in 2007, as two term-limited Democratic state representatives faced a Republican named Jeff Landry (who later served in Congress for a single term and is running for Attorney General this fall), and in that race, (then) Democrat Troy Hebert edged out Landry in the runoff by a slim 51-49% margin, with Hebert’s being the beneficiary of strong Iberia Parish turnout.

Senator Hebert didn’t stay very long in the seat, as he first changed his party affiliation to Independent in 2010, then he later decided against seeking re-election, and shortly after that, Governor Jindal appointed him Commissioner of Alcohol and Tobacco Control.

This rapid chain of events in 2010 then prompted a special election in early 2011 in the aftermath of the BP oil spill, and six candidates (surprisingly, not one was a Democrat) sought the seat. The two front runners were both freshmen House members who had recently switched to the Republican Party. The surprise primary victor, with 60% of the vote, was (then) representative Fred Mills, who got 89% of the vote in Saint Martin Parish and 33% in Iberia Parish. This was one of two special election victories in early 2011 (the other was in Senate District 26) that enabled the Republicans to attain a numerical majority in the Louisiana Senate. Redistricting removed some black precincts in Iberia and Saint Martin Parishes, while adding territory in Lafayette and Saint Landry Parishes. These changes marginally improved the Republicans’ chances here, and Senator Mills was unopposed in 2011. He is allowed to serve two more terms, and is probably in good shape for re-election.