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Louisiana, State Representative, District 17

Louisiana House of Representatives District 17
Current incumbentPat Moore Democratic Party

Louisiana's seventeenth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Pat Moore.

Louisiana state representatives represent an average of 43,175 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 42,562 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives serve four-year terms with term limits, limiting representatives to three terms (a total of 12 years). The Louisiana House of Representatives is one of the five state legislative lower houses whose members are elected to four-year terms, as opposed to the more common two-year term. Louisiana legislators assume office at noon on the second Monday in January after their election.

Qualifications

In order to run for office, the following qualifications are in place:

  • Must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Must be a resident of the district they seek to hold office to for a minimum of two years.
  • Must not have served more than two and one half terms previously in office. This is for any candidate who has held office in the past after January 8, 1996.
  • Have not been convicted of a felony offense.
  • Have no outstanding fines with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program.
  • Pay a $225 filing fee with the Clerk of Court in the parish they reside in or collect 400 signatures.
  • If running as a Republican or Democrat, pay an additional $112.50 filing fee with the state and/or parish executive committee of their party.

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$22,800/year$164/day

Term limits

The Louisiana legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Of the 15 states, it is the only state where term limits were imposed by the state's legislators, rather than through the ballot initiative process. Under Louisiana's term limits, state representatives can serve no more than three four-year terms in the House.

The state's term limits law was enacted in 1995. The first year that the term limits enacted in 1995 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2007.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the house, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. An election is required if there is six months or more left in the unexpired term. The Speaker of the House must call for an election no later than 10 days after the vacancy occurred. The Speaker of the House must determine the dates for the election along with all filing deadlines. The person elected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Elections

2019

Regular election

Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2019. The primary was on October 12, 2019, and the general election was on November 16. The filing deadline for candidates was August 8, 2019.

General election

The general election was canceled.

Primary election
Primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 17

Incumbent Pat Moore won election outright in the primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 17 on October 12, 2019.

Candidate

Pat Moore (D)

Special election

A special election for Louisiana House of Representatives District 17 was called for February 23, 2019. The candidate filing deadline was January 11, 2019. A general election was scheduled for March 30, 2019. In Louisiana, all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, face off in the primary election. If a candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote in the primary election, he or she wins outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, a general election is held between the top two vote-getters.

The seat became vacant after Marcus Hunter (D) was elected to serve as a judge on the Fourth Judicial District.

General election
Special general election for Louisiana House of Representatives District 17

Pat Moore (D) defeated Rodney McFarland Sr. (D) in the special general election for Louisiana House of Representatives District 17 on March 30, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes

Pat Moore (D)
63.2
2,406

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Rodney McFarland Sr. (D)
36.8
1,398

Total votes: 3,804
Primary election
Special primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 17

Pat Moore and Rodney McFarland Sr. defeated Rodney Welch and Anthony Garcia in the special primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 17 on February 23, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes

Pat Moore (D)
49.1
1,327

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Rodney McFarland Sr. (D)
33.8
914

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Rodney Welch (D)
8.5
231

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Anthony Garcia (D)
8.5
230

Total votes: 2,702


2015

Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2015. A primary election was held on October 24, 2015, with a general election held in districts where necessary on November 21, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 10, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.

In Louisiana, all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, face off in the primary election. If a candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote in the primary election, he or she wins outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, a general election is held between the top two vote-getters. Incumbent Marcus Hunter (D) defeated Goree Burns (D) and Heath Albritton (R) in the October 24 blanket primary.

Louisiana House of Representatives, District 17 Primary Election, 2015

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMarcus Hunter Incumbent 62% 4,337
Republican Heath Albritton 21.4% 1,496
Democratic Goree Burns 16.7% 1,166
Total Votes 6,999

2011

Elections for the office of Louisiana House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on October 22, 2011, and a general election on November 19, 2011. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 8, 2011. Marcus Hunter (D) faced Otis Chisley (D), Billye Burns (D) and Brenda Shelling (D) in the primary election on October 22 and defeated Burns in the general election, which took place on November 19.

Louisiana House of Representatives District 17 General Election, 2011

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMarcus Hunter 50% 1,984
Democratic Billy Burns 50% 1,981
Total Votes 3,965

Louisiana House of Representatives, District 17 Blanket Primary, 2011

Campaign contributions

From 2003 to 2011, candidates for Louisiana House of Representatives District 17 raised a total of $395,677. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $39,568 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Louisiana House of Representatives District 17

Year Amount Candidates Average
2011 $80,705 4 $20,176
2007 $303,423 5 $60,685
2003 $11,549 1 $11,549
Total $395,677 10 $39,568