With 492 precincts in this district, we'll likely not be done anytime soon. The New Orleans precincts that Jefferson will be counting on to push him over the top will likely not come in until 10 PM CST.
With all 492 in:
Candidate
Votes
% of Vote
Joseph Cao (R)
33,122
50%
Bill Jefferson (D)
31,296
47%
Malik Rahim (G)
1,880
3%
There are still 101 precincts to come in from New Orleans itself. The newspapers and CNN are calling it for Cao. Holy crap, a wingnut Republican just won in a majority black district. We're gonna have no Democratic representation in the House, save for Charlie Melancon.
And for the Third District State Senate seat, there are 87 precincts to report. With 78 of 106 in:
Democrats must hold 20 seats in order to maintain their majority in the upper chamber of the state legislature. While many with whom I have discussed the state of the Senate claim Democrats will retain their majority, the admittedly pessimistic scenario I adumbrate in the chart above outlines a very different situation: Democrats will emerge from this election cycle either with a very slim majority or with the lion's share of the upper chamber's seats. All this is contingent upon the outcomes of certain key races.
