Democrats in the Louisiana House have lost another member, the second party switch in less than a month amid a yearslong decline in Democratic electoral fortunes.
State Rep. Jeremy LaCombe, a Democrat who was elected in 2019 to District 18, spanning parts of Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge parishes, said Monday he is switching his party affiliation to Republican.
Republicans in the state House recently gained a supermajority – a crucial threshold for overriding vetoes and passing tax measures – because another Democrat, Rep. Francis Thompson of Delhi, switched to the GOP. In that case, the state GOP held a press event touting the news.
LaCombe’s switch was lower profile. He confirmed the move Monday, but didn't state his reasons.
His decision comes as the Republican-led Legislature convenes in Baton Rouge for its regular legislative session, during which lawmakers will tackle insurance issues, decide where to spend an influx of additional tax dollars and take on a host of culture-war issues in an election year.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Sam Jenkins said in a statement that LaCombe still embraces "the same values" as the Democratic caucus.
"House Democrats will continue to stand up for the working people of Louisiana," he said. "We look forward to working with Rep. LaCombe during this legislative session to increase wages, lower costs, improve our schools and pass insurance reform that benefit Louisiana families and small businesses."
LaCombe easily won his House seat in 2019, beating out Republicans with 68% of the vote in a special election and 62% of the vote in an election to a full term.
When LaCombe ran for the state Senate last year to replace moderate Republican Rick Ward, Democrats saw it as their best opportunity to flip a seat, which would have been a small positive step after years of declines. Donald Trump won the district with 61% of the vote in 2020, but Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards also won it with 55% in 2019.
But LaCombe lost badly to a Republican, Caleb Kleinpeter, a former member of the West Baton Rouge Parish Council. Republicans maintain a supermajority in the state Senate.
LaCombe’s switch gives Democrats only 32 members in the 105-member House. Republicans now have 71, and there are two independents. Veto overrides, tax measures and some other important decisions require 70 votes in the House to pass.
Louisiana was once dominated by Democrats, but in recent years the GOP has assumed immense power. While Edwards won two improbable terms as governor, all other statewide elected officials are Republicans. The GOP holds a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature, and they asserted their power by drawing district maps that favor Republicans in last year’s redistricting cycle.
Party registration has also tilted toward Republicans, though Democrats still maintain an edge in registered voters. The latest data from the Secretary of State shows 39% of registered voters are Democrats, while nearly 34% are Republicans. Twenty-seven percent are independents.
