Louisiana's 5th congressional district
Louisiana's 5th congressional district since January 3, 2013.
Representative	Vacant
Distribution	51.65% rural[1] 48.35% urban
Population (2019)	734,377[2]
Median household income	$41,257[3]
Ethnicity	62.26% White 34.59% Black 2.36% Hispanic 0.72% Asian 0.32% Native American
Cook PVI	R+15[4]

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]

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

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history
District created March 4, 1863
Vacant		March 4, 1863 - July 18, 1868	38th 39th 40th	Civil War and Reconstruction
W. Jasper Blackburn	Republican	July 18, 1868 - March 3, 1869	40th	[data unknown/missing] Retired to run for Lieutenant Governor.
Frank Morey	Republican	March 4, 1869 - June 8, 1876	41st 42nd 43rd 44th	Lost contested election.
William B. Spencer	Democratic	June 8, 1876 - January 8, 1877	44th	Won contested election. Resigned to become associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Vacant		January 8, 1877 - March 3, 1877
John E. Leonard	Republican	March 4, 1877 - March 15, 1878	45th	[data unknown/missing] Died.
Vacant		March 15, 1878 - November 5, 1878
J. Smith Young	Democratic	November 5, 1878 - March 3, 1879	45th	Elected to finish Leonard's term. Retired.[12]
J. Floyd King	Democratic	March 4, 1879 - March 3, 1887	46th 47th 48th 49th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.[13]
Cherubusco Newton	Democratic	March 4, 1887 - March 3, 1889	50th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.[13]
Charles J. Boatner	Democratic	March 4, 1889 - March 20, 1896	51st 52nd 53rd 54th	Elected in 1888. House declared seat vacant after election was contested by Alexis Benoit.
Vacant		March 20, 1896 - June 10, 1896	54th
Charles J. Boatner	Democratic	June 10, 1896 - March 3, 1897		Elected to finish Boatner's term. [data unknown/missing]
Samuel T. Baird	Democratic	March 4, 1897 - April 22, 1899	55th 56th	[data unknown/missing] Died[14]
Vacant		April 22, 1899 - August 29, 1899	56th
Joseph E. Ransdell	Democratic	August 29, 1899 - March 3, 1913	56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd	Elected to finish Baird's term. [data unknown/missing]
James Walter Elder	Democratic	March 4, 1913 - March 3, 1915	63rd	[data unknown/missing] Lost renomination.[15]
Riley J. Wilson	Democratic	March 4, 1915 - January 3, 1937	64th 65th 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.[16]
Newt V. Mills	Democratic	January 3, 1937 - January 3, 1943	75th 76th 77th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
Charles E. McKenzie	Democratic	January 3, 1943 - January 3, 1947	78th 79th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
Otto Passman (Monroe)	Democratic	January 3, 1947 - January 3, 1977	80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
Jerry Huckaby (Ringgold)	Democratic	January 3, 1977 - January 3, 1993	95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election in a redistricting contest.
Jim McCrery (Shreveport)	Republican	January 3, 1993 - January 3, 1997	103rd 104th	Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1992. Redistricted to the 4th district.
John Cooksey (Monroe)	Republican	January 3, 1997 - January 3, 2003	105th 106th 107th	Elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Rodney Alexander (Quitman)	Democratic	January 3, 2003 - August 9, 2004	108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th	Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Resigned to become Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs.
	Republican	August 9, 2004 - September 26, 2013
Vacant		September 26, 2013 - November 16, 2013	113th
Vance McAllister (West Monroe)	Republican	November 16, 2013 - January 3, 2015		Elected to finish Alexander's term. Lost re-election.
Ralph Abraham (Mangham)	Republican	January 3, 2015 - January 3, 2021	114th 115th 116th	Elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Retired.[17]
Vacant		January 3, 2021 - Present	117th	Member-elect Luke Letlow died December 29, 2020.[18]

Recent election results

2002

2004

• NOTE: Rodney Alexander switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party.

2006

2008

2010

2012

2013 (special)

2014

2016

2018

2020

Historical district boundaries

2003-2013

See also

• Louisiana's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

• 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

Coordinates: 31°45?59?N 91°49?25?W / 31.7664°N 91.8236°W / 31.7664; -91.8236