2007 Louisiana elections

Louisiana's 2007 state elections were held on October 20, 2007, with runoff elections held on November 17. All statewide elected offices were up, as well as all seats in the Louisiana State Legislature.

Republicans were successful in electing the country's first Indian-American governor, Congressman Bobby Jindal. The issue of the state's response to Hurricane Katrina played a large part in the decision of incumbent governor Kathleen Blanco to retire rather than seek a second term in office. Term limits also effected many retirements in the state legislature, which proved to be a benefit to Republicans, who made gains in both houses.

Governor

Main article: 2007 Louisiana gubernatorial election

Bobby Jindal avoided a runoff by getting a majority in the Jungle Primary with 54%, over a number of other contenders.

Lieutenant governor

2007 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election

Nominee Mitch Landrieu Sammy Kershaw Gary Beard Party Democratic Republican Republican Popular vote 701,887 375,727 130,876 Percentage 56.6% 30.3% 10.6%

Parish results Landrieu:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Kershaw:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Lieutenant Governor before election Mitch Landrieu Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu Democratic

Democratic incumbent Mitch Landrieu had the best showing of any Democrat running statewide, winning 56.6% of the vote. He was opposed by two Republicans, country musician Sammy Kershaw and State Representative Gary Beard, and by two Independents, Norris "Spanky" Gros Jr. and Thomas D. Kates.

Open Primary Results

2007 Louisiana Lieutenant Governor election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mitch Landrieu (incumbent)	701,887	56.6
	Republican	Sammy Kershaw	375,727	30.3
	Republican	Gary Beard	130,876	10.6
	Independent	Norris "Spanky" Gros Jr.	15,965	1.3
	Independent	Thomas D. Kates	15,555	1.2
Turnout			1,240,010

Attorney general

Main article: 2007 Louisiana Attorney General election

Incumbent Attorney General Charles Foti was challenged by both a Democrat, James "Buddy" Caldwell, and a Republican, Royal Alexander. Foti placed third in the open primary, leading to a runoff between Caldwell and Alexander, in which Caldwell easily won.

Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry

2007 Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry election

Nominee Mike Strain Bob Odom Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 494,760 505,504 Percentage 40.5% 41.3%   Nominee Wayne Carter Don Johnson Party Republican Republican Popular vote 152,893 69,470 Percentage 12.5% 5.7%

Parish results Strain:      30–40%      40–50%      60–70% Landrieu:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry before election Bob Odom Democratic Elected Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain Republican

Longtime incumbent Democrat Bob Odom faced his toughest re-election campaign ever, winning only 41% of the vote and ending up into a runoff with Republican State Representative Michael G. Strain. Odom withdrew from the runoff, making Strain the winner by default.

Open Primary Results

2007 Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Bob Odom (incumbent)	505,504	41.3
	Republican	Mike Strain	494,760	40.5
	Republican	Wayne Carter	152,893	12.5
	Republican	Don Johnson	69,470	5.7
Turnout			1,222,627

Commissioner of Insurance

2007 Louisiana Insurance Commissioner election

Nominee Jim Donelon Jim Crowley Robert Lansden Party Republican Democratic Republican Popular vote 606,196 423,986 105,991 Percentage 50.9% 35.6% 8.9%

Parish results Donelon:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Crowley:      40–50%      50–60%

Insurance Commissioner before election Jim Donelon Republican Elected Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon Republican

Republican Jim Donelon, who was elected to the Insurance Commissioner post in a 2006 special election, defeated both Democrat Jim Crowley and Republicans Robert Lansden and Jerilyn Schneider-Kneale to win a full term.

Open Primary Results

2007 Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jim Donelon (incumbent)	606,196	50.9
	Democratic	Jim Crowley	423,986	35.6
	Republican	Robert Lansden	105,991	8.9
	Republican	Jerilyn Schneider-Kneale	55,350	4.6
Turnout			1,191,523

Secretary of State

2007 Louisiana Secretary of State election

Nominee Jay Dardenne R. Wooley Scott A. Lewis III Party Republican Democratic Libertarian Popular vote 757,821 374,199 64,723 Percentage 63.3% 31.3% 5.4%

Parish results Dardenne:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Wooley:      40–50%      50–60%

Secretary of State before election Jay Dardenne Republican Elected Secretary of State Jay Dardenne Republican

Republican incumbent Jay Dardenne, after winning a special election in 2006, easily defeated Democrat R. Wooley and Libertarian Scott A. Lewis III to win a full term.

Open Primary Results

2007 Louisiana Secretary of State election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jay Dardenne (incumbent)	757,821	63.3
	Democratic	R. Wooley	374,199	31.3
	Libertarian	Scott A. Lewis III	64,723	5.4
Turnout			1,196,743

State Treasurer

Incumbent John Neely Kennedy, a Democrat who switched to the Republican party in 2007, was re-elected unopposed.

State legislature

Louisiana Senate

In the open primary election, Democrats won a total of 22 seats, including both seats won outright and runoffs between two Democrats. Republicans won 12 seats outright with one runoff. In the runoff elections between a Democrat and a Republican, each party won two seats, making the post-election composition of the Senate 24 Democrats and 15 Republicans. Following the elections, Democratic State Sen. Robert Adley switched to the Republican party, making the Senate 23 Democrats and 16 Republicans [1].

House of Representatives

In the open primary, Democrats won a guaranteed 45 seats: 34 outright, with 11 runoffs between two Democrats. Republicans won a guaranteed 42 seats: 30 outright, with 12 runoffs between two Republicans. One independent was also elected. The remaining 17 seats went to runoffs, including 16 between a Democrat and a Republican and one between a Democrat and an Independent. Democrats and Republicans each won eight of these seats, with the last going to an Independent, giving the Democrats a slim 53 to 50, with two Independents, majority in the House of Representatives.

External links

• Election Results