Louisiana’s top Democrat hopes next generation will help rebuild party

Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Randal Gaines speaks to the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Randal Gaines is counting on young people to help rebuild what many political onlookers see as a floundering organization that has been losing power for nearly four decades.

The former state lawmaker addressed the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday, sharing his thoughts on the future of the party in Louisiana.

Gaines, who is from LaPlace, said he is working to broaden his party’s appeal by holding town hall meetings and speaking with voters to get a sense of how Democrats can better serve them. He also hopes to get more college students and younger people interested in the organization.

“Our goal is to re-attract those who have left the party, but more importantly to attract those younger voters, 18 to 35, who are looking for a place that’s gonna provide an answer to the things that are important to them,” he said.

The statewide electoral power of the Democratic Party has been sliding steadily since about 1980. Democrats haven’t held a majority in Louisiana’s congressional delegation since the 1990s and have been outnumbered in the state legislature since 2010.

Although Democrats still hold a slight edge on the total share of registered voters in Louisiana, many have been switching their affiliations to Republican and independent. The Democratic Party has lost 58% of its voter plurality in the state since 2021, according to Baton Rouge pollster John Couvillon.

Of Louisiana’s roughly 3 million registered voters, 1,130,553 are Democrats, 1,035,961 are Republicans, and 834,164 have minor or no party affiliations.

It is Gaines’ first year chairing the state central committee after he ousted former chair Katie Bernhardt in April. Bernhardt oversaw disastrously poor results and low turnout during the 2023 elections that ceded all statewide offices to Republican, and Democrats failed to field candidates in 44 statehouse elections.

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