(The Center Square) – Eight Louisiana parishes that voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 backed Democrat Jamie Davis in Tuesday's U.S. Senate election, reflecting a broader national trend that saw Democrats make gains across the country, even in reliably Republican states.
Republican Julia Letlow won the seat by just 25,000 votes, according to results from the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office. She carried 49 parishes Tuesday, compared with Trump's 57 in 2024, according to a Center Square analysis of parish-level election returns.
The eight parishes that flipped Democratic were St. Bernard, West Baton Rouge, St. Landry, Bienville, Jefferson, Iberville, St. James and Tensas.
“We’ve just witnessed a historic election night," Congressman Troy Carter, D-La., said in a press release. "The American people spoke, and they entrusted Democrats with majorities in both the House and the Senate by wide margins."
The most dramatic shift came in St. Bernard Parish, where Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris by 5,066 votes in 2024, a margin of nearly 30 percentage points. Two years later, Davis carried the parish by just 12 votes.
Jefferson Parish, one of Louisiana's most populous, also reversed course. Trump carried the New Orleans suburb by approximately 13 percentage points in 2024, but Davis won it by more than seven points Tuesday.
The shift was particularly notable given Jefferson's substantial Republican electorate. Trump won the parish by more than 23,000 votes two years ago, while Davis defeated Letlow there by nearly 10,000 votes.
West Baton Rouge Parish experienced a similar reversal. Trump carried the parish by nearly 12 percentage points in 2024, but Davis won by approximately 10.5 points Tuesday. In St. Landry Parish, Trump's 19-point advantage became a three-point victory for Davis. Bienville Parish, which Trump carried by more than 18 points, also narrowly favored the Democrat.
Three other parishes that Trump carried by smaller margins moved more decisively toward Davis.
In Iberville Parish, Trump's narrow victory in 2024 gave way to an almost 18-point Democratic advantage. St. James Parish, which Trump won by less than one percentage point, backed Davis by approximately 14 points. Tensas Parish shifted from a four-point Trump victory to a 22-point Davis victory.
Despite the Democratic gains in the country more broadly, Louisiana remained a Republican stronghold, with Letlow's victory preserving the party's hold on the Senate seat.