Reggie Dupre (D)
Term limited in 2011
District Map

2002 Senate Race (Runoff)
Mary Landrieu (D) 14,390 (56%)
Suzy Terrell (R) 11,303 (44%)

2003 Governors Race (Runoff)
Kathleen Blanco (D) 18,821 (59%)
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 13,224 (41%)

2004 Presidential Race
George W. Bush (R) 25,328 (60%)
John Kerry (D) 16,192 (38%)
Others 762 (2%)

2004 Senate Race
David Vitter (R) 20,398 (52%)
Chris John (D) 10,953 (28%)
Others 7,674 (20%)

2006 Secretary of State Race
Jay Dardenne (R) 3,490 (23%)
Francis Heitmeier (D) 3,817 (25%)
Mike Francis (R) 3,362 (22%)
Mary Chehardy (R) 2,745 (18%)
Others 1,670 (11%)

2007 Governors Race
“Bobby” Jindal (R) 15,034 (54%)
Walter Boasso (D) 4,789 (17%)
John Georges (I) 5,391 (19%)
Foster Campbell (D) 2,035 (7%)
Others 666 (2%)

2007 Agriculture Commissioner Race
“Bob” Odom (D) 12,163 (46%)
Mike Strain (R) 7,796 (30%)
Wayne Carter (R) 4,664 (18%)
Don Johnson (R) 1,538 (6%)

Senate District 20 is located in the southernmost portions of the state and contains southern Lafourche Parish (generally, the area south of Highway 90) and the eastern and southern portions of Terrebonne Parish. It contains a stable 12% African-American voter population, mostly concentrated in Terrebonne Parish in the city of Houma. The district has grown at a rate slightly less than the statewide average, although the Lafourche Parish portion has grown slightly faster than the Terrebonne Parish portion has.

Politically, this is a swing district. It gave George Bush, David Vitter, and “Bobby” Jindal (in 2007) about the same percentage as their statewide averages. However, it also gave Mary Landrieu 56% of the vote and Kathleen Blanco 59% of the vote. And while it supported Republican Billy Tauzin III with 54% of the vote, this was a low percentage considering that this was his home base of his father, who had served in Congress for over two decades. Interestingly, in all recent races, both parishes have supported the winning candidate with about the same percent of the vote.

Unlike most districts in the area, the district has had turbulent politics, with races being settled in the runoff for all elections between 1983 and 1995. And until recently, no one received more than 62% of the vote. The current state senator, Democrat Reggie Dupre, was elected in the runoff in a 2001 special election with 52% of the vote against a serious Republican candidate who had received 44% of the vote in the 1999 primary. Once elected, Sen. Dupre ended the string of turbulent races by being comfortably re-elected with 83% of the vote in the 2003 primary.

Senator Dupre was unopposed for re-election in 2007. When term-limits force him to retire in 2011, this will be a closely contested seat, although we rate it as a “likely Democratic hold.”