Elbert Lee Guillory (D)
Term limited in 2019
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 7,197 (67%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 3,611 (33%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 9,599 (76%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 3,098 (24%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 6,424 (39%)
John Kerry (D) 9,898 (60%)
Others 120 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 4,649 (29%)
Chris John (D) 9,004 (56%)
Others 2,308 (15%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 1,502 (13%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 4,860 (43%)
Mike Francis (R) 3,177 (28%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 939 (8%)
Others 954 (8%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 4,507 (32%)
Walter Boasso (D) 4,103 (29%)
John Georges (I) 1,862 (13%)
Foster Campbell (D) 3,175 (22%)
Others 488 (4%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 7,528 (60%)
Mike Strain (R) 3,413 (27%)
Wayne Carter (R) 807 (6%)
Don Johnson (R) 832 (7%)

House District 40 is a collection of neighborhoods along I-49 in St. Landry Parish, stretching from Grand Coteau near the Lafayette Parish line up to a point just south of the Avoyelles Parish line. It was reconfigured in 1991 to be majority African-American. It currently has a 58% African-American voting majority, which has changed very little since 2003. It has also gained voters (over 8%) at a rate several times as fast as the statewide rate of increase, with nearly all of the increase post-Katrina.

Politically, the district is a safe Democratic seat, with typical Democratic support in statewide races at a 2 to 1 (or better) level. Even John Kerry received 60% of the vote here, and Chris John’s 56-29% margin here (he represented the area in Congress) was the fourth best in the state.

Once the district was reconfigured to be majority African-American, African-American Democrat Charles Hudson was able to eke out a 49 vote victory in the 1991 runoff – he was obviously a beneficiary of the heavy African-American voter turnout resulting from the Edwards-Duke runoff. Rep. Hudson then was re-elected three times with at least 75% of the vote before his death in 2004. Rep. Hudson was then succeeded by state Senator Don Cravins’ son, who was elected in the runoff with 53% of the vote.

Though Rep. Cravins (the son) could have served until 2015, his father resigned his term-limited state senate seat upon his election as Mayor of Opelousas in the fall of 2006. Rep. Cravins was then elected without opposition to his father’s vacant state senate seat. A special election was then held in early 2007, which was won in the runoff with 59% by African-American Democrat Elbert Lee Guillory. Rep. Guillory was elected to a full term in the 2007 primary with a slightly reduced 56% of the vote