Mike Powell (R)
Term limited in 2015
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 5,037 (37%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 8,709 (63%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 4,224 (32%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 8,920 (68%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 14,125 (72%)
John Kerry (D) 5,256 (27%)
Others 130 (1%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 12,729 (69%)
Chris John (D) 3,409 (19%)
Others 2,338 (12%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 2,825 (27%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 1,766 (17%)
Mike Francis (R) 4,355 (41%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 595 (6%)
Others 952 (9%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 8,278 (67%)
Walter Boasso (D) 1,187 (10%)
John Georges (I) 1,230 (10%)
Foster Campbell (D) 1,501 (12%)
Others 115 (1%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 2,630 (23%)
Mike Strain (R) 5,924 (51%)
Wayne Carter (R) 2,304 (20%)
Don Johnson (R) 775 (7%)

District 6 contains the settled affluent neighborhoods of eastern Shreveport roughly between Kings Highway and 70th Street. It then crosses the Red River to include a handful of precincts near Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier Parish.

Like House District 5 to the south, this district was one of a handful (and one of the first) state House districts to elect a Republican. It has a relatively low (11%, up from 10% in 2003) African-American voting population, and because it is a more settled area, its 1% growth was slightly less than the statewide average, although the Bossier Parish precincts grew twice as fast as the Shreveport precincts.

Politically, the district tends to give about 70% support to recent Republican candidates for President, Governor, and Senator, although Mary Landrieu’s apparent regional strength in northwest Louisiana enabled her to get 37% of the vote here.

While the district has generally favored Republicans, it briefly flirted with the Democrats in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Republican Art Sour was one of four Republicans elected in 1972 and served for 20 years. However, he was nearly defeated by a Democrat in 1987, and was then retired by Democrat Melissa Flournoy in 1991 by a 58-42% margin. Flournoy served one term before unsuccessfully running for the state Senate in 1995. Her retirement put the Republicans securely in control of the seat again, as Republican “Buddy” Shaw defeated a Democrat 2 to 1 in the primary, and was unopposed in 1999. When he retired in 2003, Republican Mike Powell was elected in an all-Republican runoff with 69% - the lone Democrat in the multi candidate primary received only 11% of the vote.

Rep. Powell was re-elected without opposition in 2007 and is allowed to serve two more terms. Given the Democrats’ weakness here over the last decade, he should have no problem being re-elected in the future; after term-limits force him out, Republicans should have no problem holding the seat.