Special election gives GOP complete control of Louisiana state government

With the takeover in Louisiana, Democrats have only two bastions remaining in the South -- Arkansas and Mississippi. The latter holds its state-level elections later this year.

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Louisiana holds its state-level elections in the off-year -- in fact, they will do so this November -- but the state's House and Senate have already both flipped to the Republican Party. The GOP took over the state House thanks to a party-switch. The party took over the state Senate this weekend in a special election.

This victory will not do much to help the GOP with congressional redistricting. The state has to lose a seat, and it will almost certainly have to be a Republican one. But at the state level, redistricting will provide an opportunity to solidify a Republican majority in both chambers. Assuming he gets re-elected, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal could have a much freer hand in his second term, which -- an opportunity few governors receive. [Source]

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