The New Orleans region south of Lake Pontchartrain would lose six seats in the state House of Representatives, dropping from 25 to 19 seats in the 105-member chamber, under a draft redistricting plan presented Friday by Speaker Jim Tucker.
Could also make for some interesting squabbling over the remaining real estate.
It also forecasts the potential for incumbents to have to battle each other for re-election. Several of those matchups would occur in New Orleans. The Lakeview-based House district represented by Nick Lorusso would reach into Jefferson Parish, absorbing part of the district now represented by John LaBruzzo. The 9th Ward would be combined with a broad swath of eastern New Orleans in a new House district where Reps. Charmaine Marchand Stiaes and Wesley Bishop both reside. A third eastern New Orleans district would essentially enlarge the existing 100th District represented by Austin Badon. The rest of the East would be included in a district with St. Bernard Parish and much of Plaquemines Parish.
In the Senate, J.P. Morrell and Cynthia Willard-Lewis reside in the same proposed district, which covers most of eastern New Orleans, part of Gentilly and reaches south across the river into the West Bank, including Jefferson Parish, areas that Morrell represents now. In Jefferson Parish, Sens. Conrad Appel and Julie Quinn reside in what would be a Metairie-based district. Quinn's current district reached to the north shore, but the population growth there was sufficient for that part of her district to anchor a district that doesn't cross the lake. The new design still would reach into Uptown, as Quinn's current district does.
Today we learned also that Quinn is bowing out. So... less fun but still will be quite a show.
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