BATON ROUGE, La. — Three Democrats have officially qualified to run in the special election for Louisiana House District 67. The seat became vacant following the election of former representative Larry Selders to the state Senate in the February 15 special election, which saw a notably low voter turnout of just 9.5 percent. The primary election for this district will occur on May 3, 2025, with a runoff scheduled for June 7, 2025, if no candidate secures a majority.
The candidates who filed paperwork before the March 14 qualification deadline include Terry Landry Jr., James “Sonny” Marchbanks, and Malcolm Myer.
Terry Landry Jr., an attorney, currently serves as Louisiana Policy Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Landry earned his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and his Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center. He previously served as a law clerk for the Calcasieu Parish District Court in Lake Charles, as in-house General Counsel with Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc., and as an instructor at Baton Rouge Community College.
He is the son of former state representative Terry Landry Sr., who represented House District 96 and was the first African-American superintendent of the Louisiana State Police.
James “Sonny” Marchbanks III holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and Government from LSU and earned his undergraduate degree from Southeastern Louisiana University. According to his LinkedIn profile, Marchbanks previously served as executive assistant and office manager for former Republican Metro Councilman John Delgado and currently works as a project manager for SNA Contracting LLC, a construction company based in Shreveport.
In an Instagram post following his qualification on Friday, Marchbanks emphasized his intention to focus on community-centric issues, including healthcare affordability, education quality, and employment opportunities. While he has qualified as a Democrat, as recently as January 2025, Marchbanks was registered as unaffiliated with a party, according to voting records provided by the Louisiana Secretary of State.
Malcolm Myer previously served as deputy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections under former Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, where he managed the legal department, crime victims services, sex offender assessment panels, and reentry programs. Myer’s extensive government experience also includes serving as state director for former U.S. Senator John Breaux, as well as previous roles with the Louisiana Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and Departments of Social Services and Health and Hospitals. Myer has been recognized for his leadership and public service by multiple governors and has been particularly active in child welfare, previously serving as president of the Louisiana Children’s Trust Fund Board of Directors.
This special election coincides closely with an upcoming vote on constitutional amendments scheduled for March 29, potentially contributing to concerns over voter fatigue and turnout. The winner of this special election will serve the remaining two years of the term previously held by Selders in District 67, a majority-Black district in Baton Rouge that continues to face pressing economic and social challenges.
As of the posting of this article, none of the three candidates had publicly available campaign websites.
