[StJacques]

". . . the demographics of Louisiana could be changing in favor of the Republicans. . . ."

You're right on this one though the point bears some qualification. Back in the mid-1980's Louisiana suffered a terrible economic blow when the price of oil plummeted and the oil industry in our state nearly collapsed, which in turn hurt just about every other sector of our economy. What began then was what demographers describe as "outmigration" of Louisiana residents seeking jobs elsewhere. And these "migrants" were our people. They were largely young, educated workers to well-educated professionals, with families either growing or starting, and Republican-leaning in their voting behavior. It seems this trend has run its course, though we still have a lot of our college graduates who leave, but this is now balanced to some degree by the slow but steady development of high-tech industries in some of our more prosperous urban areas; particularly Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport, which are in fact attracting some out-of-staters to come here. We have also seen some slight growth in export trade that has had some positive effects as well. So the "demographics" as they affect Republicans are that the population is relatively stable with brighter economic prospects for the most part and voters are trending in our direction.

[MHT]

Isn't Louisiana also drawing young retirees? My husband and I almost bought property, until a hurricane nearly destroyed the island. The lure of Sportsman's Paradise without being in California or Florida, or without the winters of Montana, is quite tempting.