Louisiana entered 1992 redistricting compelled to create a second majority-black district. The mapmakers' task was complicated, however, by the loss of one of its House seats in reapportionment, dropping its total to seven. (During the 1980s, Louisiana's population grew by fewer than 15,000 people.) That meant that to draw a new, open black seat, incumbents would have to be paired in two other districts.

As the 1990s began, Louisiana continued to weather a nearly decade-long recession stemming from a decline in its oil and gas industries. The state's economic malaise contributed to Democratic Gov. Edwin W. Edwards' 1987 defeat for re-election at the hands of then-Democrat Buddy Roemer.

The 1991 gubernatorial election, in which Edwards ousted Roemer, who had become a Republican, had a profound effect on redistricting. Not only did the party label switch in the governor's mansion, but the legislative leadership was realigned. Edwards, whose political career thrived on support among Louisiana's blacks, was propelled to a landslide victory over former Ku Klux Klan leader and former Nazi sympathizer David Duke, fueled in large measure by a vigorous voter-registration and get-out-the-vote effort waged on his behalf by the African American community.

With Edwards in the governor's mansion, legislators resistant to drawing a second black-majority district had no chance of prevailing.

Louisiana's first black-majority district was created after a federal court in 1983 upheld a voting-rights challenge to the map in place for the 1982 elections. Although the new 2nd District had a 58 percent black population, it continued to re-elect its white incumbent until she retired in 1991. In 1990, Democrat William J. Jefferson became Louisiana's first black elected to Congress since Reconstruction.

Drawing another black district, however, would not be as simple as creating the 2nd. Based in New Orleans, the 2nd is the state's most compact district. But with the 2nd needing to gain people to attain the required population level, legislators could not rely on New Orleans' population for the new district, ensuring that it would have to twist around the state across several rural parishes (Louisiana's equivalent of counties) with substantial black populations.

The map that the Legislature passed in May 1992 contained one of the strangest-looking congressional districts in the country -- and perhaps in U.S. history. The open 4th District, with a 66 percent black population, starts in Shreveport, in northwest Louisiana. Moving east, it narrowly paints the state's northern border with Arkansas. It turns south to follow the Mississippi River along the eastern border with Mississippi, and then juts west into central Louisiana, east to gather part of the Florida parishes and south into the state capital, Baton Rouge. Patricia Lowrey of the nonpartisan House Reapportionment Project dubbed it "the 'Z' with drips," and so it is: an enormous, Z- shaped creature collecting all or part of 28 parishes. Democrat Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge, who chaired the state Senate committee charged with drawing the new map, was elected in 1992.

The new map paired four white incumbents in two districts. In the 5th, which cut a swath across most of northern Louisiana, Republican Jim McCrery bested an eight-term Democrat. And in the 6th, which sprawled across central Louisiana but also reached into Baton Rouge, Republican Richard H. Baker edged past a fellow Republican, whose 8th District had been disintegrated.

A 1993 court challenge based on the racial composition of the state's seven districts put the future of Louisiana's map in doubt. Most likely the outcome will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1993 in a separate redistricting case (Shaw v. Reno) called into question bizarre-looking racial gerrymanders similar to Louisiana's.

Gov:  Edwin W. Edwards (D) [Also served 1972-80, 1984-88]
* First elected: 1991*
* Length of term: 4 years
* Term expires: 1/96
* Salary: $73,440
* Term limit: 2 terms
* Phone: (504) 342-7015
* Born: August 7, 1927; Marksville, La.
* Education: Louisiana State U., LL.B. 1949, J.D. 1974.
* Military Service: Navy Air Corps, 1945-46.
* Occupation: Lawyer.
* Family: Divorced; four children.
* Religion: Roman Catholic.
* Political Career: Crowley City Council, 1954-62; La. Senate,
           1964-65; U.S. House, 1965-72; governor, 1972-80; La.
           Supreme Court, 1980; governor, 1984-88.
 Note: Retiring at end of current term.

Lt. Gov.: Melinda Schwegmann (D)
* First elected: 1991
* Length of term: 4 years
* Term expires: 1/96
* Salary: $63,367
* Phone: (504) 342-7009

 State election official: (504) 342-4971
 Democratic headquarters: (504) 336-4155
 Republican headquarters: (504) 383-7234

REDISTRICTING

 Louisiana lost one seat in reapportionment, dropping 
 from eight districts to seven. The legislature passed the 
 map May 29, 1992; the  governor signed it June 1. The 
 Justice Department approved the map July 6.

STATE LEGISLATURE

 Bicameral Legislature. Meets March-June yearly.

 Senate:                         House of Representatives:    
 39 members, 4-year terms        105 members, 4-year terms    
 1994 breakdown: 33D, 6R;        1994 breakdown: 86D, 17R, 1I,
 37 men, 2 women;                1 vacancy; 92 men, 12 women; 
 Salary: $16,800                 Salary: $16,800          
 Phone: (504) 342-2040           Phone: (504) 342-7263        

POPULATION

 1980 population   4,205,900        1990 population   4,219,973  
 Percent change   +<1%              Rank among states:    21  
 
 White                 67%          Black                 31%  
 Hispanic               2%          Asian or
                                      Pacific islander     1%  

 Urban                 68%          Rural                 32%  
 Born in state         79%          Foreign-born           2%  

 Under age 18   1,227,269   29%      Ages 18-64     2,523,713   60%  
 65 and older     468,991   11%      Median age     31  

URBAN STATISTICS

 City             Pop.            
 New Orleans      496,938         Mayor Mark Morial, D
 Baton Rouge      219,531         Mayor Tom Edward McHugh, D
 Shreveport       198,525         Mayor Hazel Beard, R
 Metairie         149,428         Parish President Michael Yenni, D
 Lafayette         94,440         Mayor Kenneth Bowen, D

MISCELLANEOUS

 Capital:             Baton Rouge
 Number of parishes:  64
 Per capita income:   $15,143 (1991)        Rank among states:  45
 Total area:          47,752 sq. miles      Rank among states:  31

ELECTIONS

 1992 Presidential Vote              1988 Presidential Vote        
 Bill Clinton         45.6%          George Bush            54%
 George Bush          41.0%          Michael S. Dukakis     44%
 Ross Perot           11.8%  
 
 1984 Presidential Vote
 Ronald Reagan        61%  
 Walter F. Mondale    38%  

U.S. CONGRESS

 Senate: 2 D, 0 R     House:  4 D, 3 R

TERM LIMITS

 For Congress:  No    For state offices: No

Copyright © 1996 Congressional Quarterly, Inc. All rights reserved.