Voters are going to have two candidates to choose from this month in northwest Louisiana’s House races. District 12 includes part of Lincoln Parish and all of Union Parish.
Republicans hold 59 House seats in the state. They also hold large majorities in both the the Louisiana House and the Senate but Democrats still hold 34 percent of the House and Gov. John Bel Edwards is the only Democrat holding a statewide office.
According to Sam Hanna Jr, writer for The Franklin Sun, the seat is being vacated by State Rep. Rob Shadoin, who resigned from the House to take a job with the State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “Shadoin is a Republican, and two Republicans are in the race two succeed him,” said Hanna. “The latter would appear to have the blessing of the ruling class in Baton Rouge though that shouldn’t be considered a positive in today’s political climate.”
A special election has been called for February 23, 2019, where Halley of Farmerville and Turner of Ruston will face off in a primary election. If either candidate receives at least 50 percent of votes, he wins outright. However, if no candidate reaches the minimum, a general election is scheduled for March 30, 2019. District 12 represents an average of 43, 175 residents based on the federal census completed in 2010.