I was doing the breakdown for the seats while you posted that article, Dog. Anyway, here’s some seat by seat analysis including my original post from October’s initial election:
OK, folks, here is the breakdown for the LA House. We have genuine shot at control here in the runoffs:
(105 seats total)
45 Democrats
42 Republicans
1 Independent
16 Dem vs. Republican runoffs
1 Independent vs. Democrat runoff
If we take 13 of the 16 runoffs (or as few as 11 if the Indy votes with the GOP and if the other Indy wins), we can win a 1-seat majority. This excludes ANY party switchers to tip the balance.
Going into the election it was 43 GOP / 60 Dem / 1 Ind (1 Vacancy).
*LA HOUSE UPDATED ELECTION RETURNS PING*
Updated totals after yesterday’s runoff:
Of the 16 Dem vs. Republican runoffs, we won 8 to their 8, falling 3 seats short of tying the Dems. Many of the races we lost were heartbreakingly close.
Of the 1 Independent vs. Democrat, the Independent won.
Overall, the Dems lost 7 seats and we gained 7.
*We picked up the Dem open seats in the 7th, 14th, 23rd, 24th (Dem Spkr Joe Salter’s open seat) & 57th.
*We beat the incumbent Dem Carla “Buckwheat” Dartez in the 51st.
*We lost an open Republican seat to the Dems in the 54th by only 119 votes. (We previously lost an open seat in the 95th when 2 Dems got in a runoff, which didn’t count in yesterday’s runoffs).
*The Dems lost an open seat to an Independent in the 55th.
*We lost no Republican incumbents.
The Dems, excluding the Independents, will have only a 1 seat majority in the House.
The breakdown for the January session will be:
53 Democrats
50 Republicans
2 Independents
The Senate runoffs, of which there were just 4 Dem vs. GOP contests. As with the House races, we split the difference. The Dems won 2, we won 2.
*The Dems held their open 7th.
*The Dems picked up the open Republican Craig Romero 22nd seat (we lost by only 51-49% or 568 votes)
*We held our open 25th.
*We picked up the Dem open 32nd district.
**We previously lost the 5th & 30th dists. when 2 Dems made the runoff. (Ex-Dem Congressman Buddy Leach lost a bid to return to the legislature by 52-48%).
The GOP ultimately made only a paltry 1 seat gain going into this election, and the Dems will hold the Senate by a wide enough margin that control isn’t in doubt.
24 Democrats (down from 25)
15 Republicans (up from 14)
The sheriff’s seat in Baton Rouge went Democrat after 24 years of Republican occupancy. Could Baton Rouge be moving to the left, with an influx of Katrina exiles from New Orleans?
Not a bad showing, though not what was hoped for in light of Bobby Jindal’s victory.