CQ Risk Rating: Safe Republican 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| John Cooksey (R) | 123,975 | 69% |
| Roger Beall (D) | 42,977 | 24% |
| Sam Houston Melton Jr. (D) | 7,186 | 4% |
| Raymond A. "Chuck" Dumas (LIBERT) | 5,335 | 3% |
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
LOUISIANA 5
:
Northeast and central - Monroe; Alexandria
Stamped with pockets of poverty, the 5th is a picture of economic gloom.
The district starts with East Carroll, a poverty-stricken parish at the
Arkansas and Mississippi border, and runs south through poor farming towns
along the Mississippi River into Cajun country. A conservative district
throughout, Baptists and Pentecostals dominate the northern and central
parts of the 5th, while Catholics are more common in the south.
Agriculture is abundant but not able to keep the economy from lagging.
Along the black, rich land on the Mississippi River, farmers grow cotton,
soybeans and corn. Although most of the state's cotton comes from this area,
unemployment is high. To the west of Monroe lie thick pine forests that fuel
the timber industry. One bright spot in the 5th was the 1992 transformation
of the closed England Air Force Base outside of Alexandria into an
industrial park that brought in about 1,500 jobs.
Three rounds of redistricting in the 1990s dramatically changed the
shape of the 5th, adding to the district's black population while retaining
its conservative, religious character. The longtime conservative Democratic
seat changed to a Republican seat in the 1996 election, the year of the last
redistricting. Still, Democrats hold most local offices.
Major Industry
Agriculture, health care
Population
602,928 (1990)
Cities
Monroe, 54,588; Alexandria, 46,051; Ruston, 19,853 (1996)
People
50% rural, 33% urban; 13% age 65+ (ranks first of seven in state; middle
third nationally); 56% married couples, 27% married couples with children;
14% college educated (ranks fifth of seven in state; bottom third
nationally); 52% white collar (ranks sixth of seven in state; bottom third
nationally), 28% blue collar (ranks fourth of seven in state; top third
nationally) (1990)
Race
68% white, 31% black, 0% Asian; 1% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$18,258 (ranks seventh of seven in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
Gov. and Sen. Huey Long born in Winn Parish in 1893.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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District 5
