CQ Risk Rating: Safe Democrat 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| William J. Jefferson (D) | Unopposed |
Note: The election that Louisiana holds on national election day in November is an open primary, with candidates from all parties on the ballot. Any candidate who receives more than half the votes is elected, and no general election is held for that post. Likewise, a candidate with no opposition is declared elected and does not appear on the final ballot. If no candidate receives more than half the votes, the top two vote-getters, regardless of political party, participate in a runoff election in December.
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Military Bases | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
LOUISIANA 2
:
East - New Orleans
French street names, fortune tellers and voodoo dolls in store windows
add to New Orleans' unique cultural mix. But beyond Mardi Gras, the
comfortably Democratic 2nd, which takes in most of the city and some
middle-class suburbs, has dealt with serious issues. Crime, which encouraged
flight from the city, continued to be a problem in the 1990s, although
statistics showed a drop at the end of the decade.
The staples of the 2nd's economic diet, the New Orleans Port,
shipbuilding and tourism, held strong in the 1990s. The publicly traded
Avondale Industries shipyard, which relies heavily on military contracts,
built a new technology center that is expected to create jobs and draw
businesses to the area. Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry was the comeback
kid of the 1990s. After declining in the 1980s, the industry experienced a
resurgence that leveled off toward the end of the 1990s.
Court-ordered redistricting forced the state through three sets of maps
during the 1990s. In the final plan, adopted in 1996, the 2nd emerged as
Louisiana's only black-majority district. It is safely Democratic.
Major Industry
Tourism, shipbuilding, oil and gas
Military Bases
New Orleans Naval Support Activity, 2,261 military, 1,561 civilian (1998);
several Coast Guard stations, 684 military, 118 civilian (1998)
Population
602,830 (1990)
Cities
New Orleans, 476,625; Kenner, 72,345 (1996); Marrero (unincorporated),
36,671 (1990) (some populations spread across two or more districts)
People
99% urban; 11% age 65+ (ranks fourth of seven in state; bottom third
nationally); 39% married couples, 19% married couples with children; 18%
college educated (ranks third of seven in state; middle third nationally);
57% white collar (ranks third of seven in state; middle third nationally),
22% blue collar (ranks sixth of seven in state; bottom third nationally)
(1990)
Race
36% white, 61% black, 2% Asian; 3% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$18,585 (ranks sixth of seven in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
Opera first performed in the United States in New Orleans in 1796; Lindy
Boggs, mother of newscaster Cokie Roberts, elected to the U.S. House in 1973
and served until Rep. Jefferson was elected in 1990.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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District 2
