Louisiana's 5th congressional district
Louisiana's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The 5th district encompasses rural northeastern Louisiana and much of central Louisiana, as well as the northern part of Louisiana's Florida parishes in southeast Louisiana, taking in Monroe, Alexandria, Opelousas, Amite and Bogalusa. The seat is currently vacant, after being held by Ralph Abraham, who was first elected in 2014. On February 26, 2020, Abraham announced he would not be seeking re-election for a fourth term, honoring his pledge to serve only three terms in Congress.[5] On December 5, 2020, Luke Letlow defeated Lance Harris in the runoff election, after no candidate received a majority of the vote in the primary. He was scheduled to assume office on January 3, 2021, but died on December 29, 2020 of complications from COVID-19.[6] A special election has been scheduled for March 20, 2021.[7]
Louisiana's 5th congressional district | |||
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![]() Louisiana's 5th congressional district since January 3, 2013. | |||
Representative |
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Distribution |
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Population (2019) | 734,377[2] | ||
Median household income | $41,257[3] | ||
Ethnicity |
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Cook PVI | R+15[4] |
Previous election cycles
2014 election
In 2014, Ralph Abraham defeated Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo for the 113th United States Congress, replacing McAllister, who was defeated in the Louisiana primary. On February 26, 2020, Abraham announced he would not be seeking re-election for a fourth term, honoring his pledge to only serve three terms in Congress.[8]
2013 special election
"On November 16, 2013, Republican newcomer Vance McAllister, a businessman from Swartz, Louisiana, handily defeated fellow Republican State Senator Neil Riser of Columbia in Caldwell Parish to claim the seat in a special election. McAllister led Riser, 54,449 (59.7) to 36,837 (40.3 percent), with all 981 precincts reporting. McAllister won fourteen of the twenty-four parishes in the district, including large margins in Ouachita and Rapides.[9] McAllister had criticized Governor Bobby Jindal for not extending Medicaid to qualified poor Louisianians, and Riser had endorsed the governor's refusal.
Analysts considered McAllister's victory as a rejection of Jindal's efforts to have the seat vacated and to replace Alexander with his hand-picked candidate in a low-turnout special election.[10] The runoff turnout was less than 19%, three percent less than in the primary.[11]
Previously the seat was held by Rodney Alexander, who in 2004 had switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP. Alexander resigned on September 26, 2013 to become secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs under Governor Jindal.
Originally 14 candidates ran to succeed Alexander, including Clyde C. Holloway, a former representative from Louisiana's 8th congressional district, since disbanded. Riser and McAllister emerged from the primary to meet in the runoff.
Recent presidential elections
Election results from presidential races | ||
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Year | Office | Results |
2000 | President | Bush 57–40% |
2004 | President | Bush 62–37% |
2008 | President | McCain 62–37% |
2012 | President | Romney 61–38% |
2016 | President | Trump 64–34% |
2020 | President | Trump 65–34% |
List of members representing the district
Recent election results
2002
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Rodney Alexander (Incumbent) | 86,718 | 50.28 | |
Republican | Lee Fletcher | 85,744 | 49.72 | |
Total votes | 172,462 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
2004
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rodney Alexander (Incumbent) | 141,495 | 59.44 | |||
Democratic | Zelma "Tisa" Blakes | 58,591 | 24.61 | |||
Republican | John W. "Jock" Scott | 37,971 | 15.95 | |||
Total votes | 238,057 | 100.00 | ||||
Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
- NOTE: Rodney Alexander switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party.
2006
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rodney Alexander | 78,211 | 68.26 | |
Democratic | Gloria Williams Hearn | 33,233 | 29.00 | |
Libertarian | Brent Sanders | 1,876 | 1.64 | |
Independent | John Watts | 1,262 | 1.10 | |
Total votes | 114,582 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
2008
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rodney Alexander | 100.00 | ||
Total votes | 100.00 | |||
Republican hold | ||||
2010
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rodney Alexander | 122,033 | 78.57 | |
Independent | Tom Gibbs Jr. | 33,279 | 21.43 | |
Total votes | 155,312 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
2012
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rodney Alexander | 202,536 | 77.83 | |
No Party | "Ron" Ceasar | 37,486 | 14.41 | |
Libertarian | Clay Steven Grant | 20,194 | 7.76 | |
Total votes | 260,216 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
2013 (special)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Vance McAllister | 54,449 | 59.65 | |
Republican | Neil Riser | 36,837 | 40.35 | |
Total votes | 91,286 | 18.9 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
2014
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | "Jamie" Mayo | 67,611 | 28.22 | |
Republican | Ralph Abraham | 54,449 | 22.73 | |
Republican | "Zach" Dasher | 53,628 | 22.39 | |
Republican | Vance M. McAllister | 26,606 | 11.11 | |
Republican | Clyde C. Holloway | 17,877 | 7.46 | |
Republican | Harris Brown | 9,890 | 4.13 | |
Republican | "Ed" Tarpley | 4,594 | 1.92 | |
Libertarian | Charles Saucier | 2,201 | 0.92 | |
Green | Eliot S. Barron | 1,655 | 0.69 | |
Total votes | 239,551 | 100 | ||
Turnout | 52.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ralph Abraham | 134,616 | 64.22 | |
Democratic | "Jamie" Mayo | 75,006 | 35.78 | |
Total votes | 209,622 | 100 | ||
Turnout | 45.2 | |||
Republican hold | ||||
2016
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ralph Abraham | 208,545 | 81.57 | |
Republican | Billy Burkette | 47,117 | 18.43 | |
Total votes | 255,662 | 100 | ||
Turnout | 66.8 | |||
Republican hold | ||||
2018
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ralph Abraham | 149,018 | 66.54 | |
Democratic | Jessee Carlton Fleenor | 67,118 | 29.97 | |
Independent | Billy Burkette | 4,799 | 2.14 | |
Libertarian | Kyle Randol | 3,011 | 1.35 | |
Total votes | 223,946 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
2020
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Luke Letlow | 102,533 | 33.12 | |
Republican | Lance Harris | 51,240 | 16.55 | |
Democratic | Sandra "Candy" Shoemaker-Christophe | 50,812 | 16.41 | |
Democratic | Martin Lemelle Jr. | 32,186 | 10.40 | |
Republican | Scotty Robinson | 23,887 | 7.72 | |
Republican | Allen Guillory Sr. | 22,496 | 7.27 | |
Republican | Matt Hasty | 9,834 | 3.18 | |
Democratic | Phillip Snowden | 9,432 | 3.05 | |
Democratic | Jesse P. Lagarde | 7,136 | 2.30 | |
Total votes | 309,556 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Luke Letlow | 49,182 | 62.02 | |
Republican | Lance Harris | 30,124 | 37.98 | |
Total votes | 79,306 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
Historical district boundaries

References
- Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov.
- Bureau, Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
- "My Congressional District".
- "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- Crisp, Elizabeth (February 26, 2020). "Ex-governor candidate U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham won't seek another term in Congress". The Advocate. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- Brufke, Juliegrace (December 29, 2020). "Louisiana Rep.-elect Luke Letlow dies of COVID-19". The Hill. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- Karlin, Sam (December 30, 2020). "Election to replace Luke Letlow in Congress to be set for March, officials say". The Advocate. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- Crisp, Elizabeth (February 26, 2020). "Ex-governor candidate U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham won't seek another term in Congress". The Advocate. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- "5th congressional district special election returns, November 16, 2013". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- 'Riser, Alexander and Jindal' Archived August 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, The Advocate, James Gill, November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- Lauren McGaughy, "Political newcomer Vance McAllister wins 5th District special election", Times-Picayune, November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- "YOUNG, John Smith - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- "Samuel T Baird Dies - on Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- "Wilson defeats Elder - on Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- Crisp, Elizabeth (February 26, 2020). "Ex-governor candidate U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham won't seek another term in Congress". The Advocate. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- "Congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from Covid complications days before being sworn in". NBC News. December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present