Jefferson Parish went blue for Jamie Davis. Is it now a battleground?

JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (WVUE) - Davis won Jefferson Parish with 54% of the vote in his unsuccessful campaign against Republican Congresswoman Julia Letlow.

Davis’ victory came just two years after Republican President Donald Trump won the parish with 55% of the vote.

State Rep. Kyle Green Jr. (D-Marrero) leads the Louisiana House Democratic Caucus and called the parish a political battleground.

“What happened [election] night is basically what we can expect going forward, this parish is going to be competitive for the right candidate,” he said.

Green pointed to Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards’ victory in the parish in 2015 and 2019.

He said President Trump’s policies, the price of gas and the elimination of a majority-Black Congressional seat all fueled Davis’ success.

“I’m not shocked at all,” he said.

The parish swung sharply to President Trump in 2020 and 2024.

Republican At-Large Jefferson Parish Councilmember Jennifer Van Vrancken downplayed Davis’ success, calling it a “one-off.”

“Julia Letlow is largely unknown in Jefferson in terms of having any kind of track record for our local voters, and Jamie Davis was a unique character being a gun-toting business owner. I mean, some of those things that traditionally appeal to Republicans,” she said.

She pointed to dominate victories by Republican Congressman Steve Scalise and Public Service Commissioner-elect Stephanie Hilferty.

Both of their districts overlap with large portions of the parish.

“The aberration is the Letlow-Davis race,” she said.

Green questioned if those races are reflective of the parish as a whole.

“I don’t think you can compare, that’s a good comparison of apples to apples. I mean, Jamie Davis ran an entire parish, East Bank and West Bank,” he said.

Both Green and Van Vrancken said the election put a focus on pocketbook issues.

The parish will be back up for grabs soon. Control of the governor’s mansion and statehouse will be up for grabs in Oct. 2027.

State Rep. Polly Thomas (R-Metairie) leads the parish Republican Executive Committee. She declined an interview request.

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