State profile: Louisiana

Louisiana used to be one of the South's most Democratic states. Longstanding Democratic dynasties like the Landrieus and the Morials have dominated the state for many years.

In presidential elections, Bill Clinton won the state twice in the 1990s, but it has been moving towards the Republicans ever since. Al Gore lost heavily here in 2000, as did John Kerry in 2004, when the Republicans also picked up a Louisiana senate seat.

And although Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat, won the governorship in 2003, she opted to step down in 2007 after only one term, and was replaced by a Republican, Bobby Jindal.

Mr Jindal is the first Indian-American state governor in the US, a once unimaginable situation in this conservative part of the country.

KEY FACTS Population: 4,287,768 (ranked 25 among states) Governor: Kathleen Blanco (D) Electoral college votes: 9

Louisiana has a large black population, and the state's politics tend to divide on economic and racial lines, with black voters usually backing the Democrats and white voters supporting the Republicans.

Some commentators have suggested that the decrease in Louisiana's black population in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 could accelerate the Republicans' electoral gains in the state.

Katrina is likely to be one of the key electoral issues in Louisiana. Many Louisiana voters are angry about what they perceive to have been a bungled evacuation, and an inadequate post-hurricane regeneration plan.

Governor Blanco's handling of the aftermath of the hurricane was not well-received, which could explain why she chose not to run for re-election. Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu will also face a tough re-election battle because of her response to the crisis.

IN CONGRESS House of Representatives: 2 Democrat, 5 Republican Senate: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican

And Republican presidential candidate John McCain will be keen to distance himself from President Bush, whom many blamed for the failures at federal level to respond effectively to the disaster.

Louisiana was passed between England, France and Spain from the 16th Century, and eventually became part of the United States in 1803. As a result it has a diverse cultural mix, particularly evident in its most famous city, New Orleans.

Hot and swampy, the Pelican State's subtropical climate enabled it to build considerable wealth from sugarcane and cotton plantations.

But it has left a legacy of wide class and caste distinctions and a large and poor working-class population.

VOTING RECORD 2004: Bush 57%, Kerry 42% 2000: Bush 53%, Gore 45% 1996: Clinton 52%, Dole 40%

This background produced Louisiana's most famous politician, Huey Long. As governor and senator in the 1920s and 1930s, Mr Long fought for Louisiana's dispossessed and forced President Roosevelt to extend the scope of the New Deal.

But he also had a reputation as a ruthless machine politician, and bequeathed a strange system of open primaries and elections months after the rest of the country goes to the polls, a system which continues today.

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