Louisiana’s state legislative special election was supposed to be a very different kind of contest. A Democratic state representative gave up his seat to become commissioner of the state Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, and Republicans saw this as a unique opportunity to do something the party hasn’t done in a while: flip a seat from blue to red.
That didn’t happen.
Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez won Saturday’s special election for State House District 60, defeating Republican Brad Daigle.
Martinez, a member of the Iberville Parish Council, earned 62% of the vote against Daigle, a small-business owner and member of the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission.
At first blush, this might not seem especially notable, since a Democratic candidate won a special election to replace a former Democratic legislator.
But the details matter. Trump carried this district by 13 points in the 2024 cycle, fueling GOP hopes about flipping the state House seat.
Instead, the Democratic nominee prevailed — by 24 points.