Lake Charles to See Runoff for Mayor

Lake Charles, LA – Election results from March 29, 2025, show a runoff election is in store for the City of Lake Charles mayoral race. While no candidate secured a majority, Nicholas “Nic” Hunter (REP) led the field with 6,663 votes (47%), followed by Marshall Simien, Jr. (IND) with 4,051 votes (29%).

Other candidates in the mayoral race included:

• Wilford Carter II (DEM): 2,590 votes (18%)
• Khalid Taha (REP): 504 votes (4%)
• James Steward (NOPTY): 314 votes (2%)

The election in the City of Lake Charles saw a turnout of 30.7%.

Vinton Elects New Mayor

In the Town of Vinton, Bonnie Jo Bahnsen (REP) was elected mayor, securing 274 votes (54%) against Marcus Renfrow (REP), who received 233 votes (46%). Voter turnout in Vinton was 28.6%.

Lake Charles City Council Race

District B of Lake Charles saw a close City Council race, with Donald Fondel (DEM) edging out Luvertha August (DEM) by a narrow margin. Fondel received 733 votes (52%) to August’s 687 votes (48%). The voter turnout in District B was 25.8%. District C of Lake Charles saw several candidates run, resulting in no one securing a majority and presumably heading to a runoff between the top two vote-getters: Tommy Bilbo (41%, 894 votes), Charles Gallien (9%, 191 votes), Amanda Fontenot Johnson (24%, 529 votes), and Priscilla Sam (27%, 589 votes). The voter turnout in District C was 30.1%.

Calcasieu Parish Voters Reject Constitutional Amendments

Alongside local races, Calcasieu Parish residents also cast their ballots on four proposed constitutional amendments. The results for Calcasieu Parish were:

• CA No. 1 (Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings/Limited Jurisdiction Courts): 9,756 YES (39%), 15,496 NO (61%)
• CA No. 2 (Power of Taxation Limitations): 9,211 YES (36%), 16,042 NO (64%)
• CA No. 3 (Juvenile Crime Proceedings): 8,722 YES (35%), 16,439 NO (65%)
• CA No. 4 (Election Dates for Judgeships): 10,051 YES (40%), 15,084 NO (60%)

Calcasieu Parish results indicate that the local voters rejected each of the proposed amendments.

Statewide Constitutional Amendment Results

Across Louisiana, voters rejected all four proposed constitutional amendments. The statewide results were:

• CA No. 1 (Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings/Limited Jurisdiction Courts): 221,334 YES (35%), 412,082 NO (65%)
• CA No. 2 (Power of Taxation Limitations): 224,085 YES (35%), 410,083 NO (65%)
• CA No. 3 (Juvenile Crime Proceedings): 212,324 YES (34%), 419,366 NO (66%)
• CA No. 4 (Election Dates for Judgeships): 229,597 YES (36%), 401,499 NO (64%)

Statewide voter turnout for the constitutional amendments was approximately 21.3%.

At the time this was published, election results were complete, but not yet certified by the Secretary of State.