Changes

Scogin was among the citizens and leaders of St. Tammany Parish who opposed the Army Corps of Engineers "Hurricane Barrier Project", having viewed the proposal as an environmental threat to Lake Pontchartrain and a bottomless reservoir for the flooding of Slidell and the entire parish. The dissidents feared that water, with nowhere to run off,  would top the dam/barrier and flood their communities. Scogin was prophetic in that the Corps project, had it been constructed, presumably would have created a flood bowl similar to what happened to New Orleans during [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saveourwetlands.org/response2latimes.html|title=Response to the L.A. Times Article, "A Barrier That Could Have Been"|publisher=saveourwetlands.org|accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref>​

Scogin was among the citizens and leaders of St. Tammany Parish who opposed the Army Corps of Engineers "Hurricane Barrier Project", having viewed the proposal as an environmental threat to Lake Pontchartrain and a bottomless reservoir for the flooding of Slidell and the entire parish. The dissidents feared that water, with nowhere to run off,  would top the dam/barrier and flood their communities. Scogin was prophetic in that the Corps project, had it been constructed, presumably would have created a flood bowl similar to what happened to New Orleans during [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saveourwetlands.org/response2latimes.html|title=Response to the L.A. Times Article, "A Barrier That Could Have Been"|publisher=saveourwetlands.org|accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref>​

Scogin was first elected to the House from District 76 as a Democrat in the [[general election]] held on February 1, 1972, when his party's nominee, Edwin Edwards, defeated Republican [[David C. Treen]], then of Jefferson Parish and later of St. Tammany, to win his first term as governor of Louisiana. Scogin was preceded by three at-large House members, including Lawrence A. Sheridan, who later took the District 75 seat in Washington Parish, before the state went to complete single-member districting in the 1971-1972 election cycle.<ref name=dist76>{{cite web|url=http://www.fanthefire.tv/wiki/House_District_76/|title=House District 76|publisher=fanthefire.tv|accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref>​

Scogin was first elected to the House from District 76 as a Democrat in the [[general election]] held on February 1, 1972, when his party's nominee, Edwin Edwards, defeated Republican [[David C. Treen]], then of Jefferson Parish and later of St. Tammany, to win his first term as governor of Louisiana. Scogin was preceded by three at-large House members, including Lawrence A. Sheridan, who later took the District 75 seat in Washington Parish, before the state went to complete single-member districting in the 1971-1972 election cycle.<ref name=dist76>{{cite web|url=http://www.fanthefire.tv/wiki/House_District_76/|title=House District 76|publisher=fanthefire.tv|accessdate=April 24, 2010; no longer on-line.}}</ref>​

Scogin won again as a Democrat in the 1975 and 1979 elections. Shortly after the 1979 general election, even before Treen took office as governor to succeed the then term-limited Edwards, Scogin switched to the [[Republican Party]].<ref>John Clements, ''Taylor's Encyclopedia of Government Officials, Supplement to Vol. VII, [[Dallas]], [[Texas]]: Political Research, Inc., 1980), p. 8.</ref> He won new terms as a Republican in 1983 and 1987.<ref name=dist76/> In his last election on October 24, 1987, Scogin defeated the Democrat Earl D. Broom, 8,396 votes (56.6 percent) to 6,344 (43.4 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 24, 1987.</ref>​

Scogin won again as a Democrat in the 1975 and 1979 elections. Shortly after the 1979 general election, even before Treen took office as governor to succeed the then term-limited Edwards, Scogin switched to the [[Republican Party]].<ref>John Clements, ''Taylor's Encyclopedia of Government Officials, Supplement to Vol. VII, [[Dallas]], [[Texas]]: Political Research, Inc., 1980), p. 8.</ref> He won new terms as a Republican in 1983 and 1987.<ref name=dist76/> In his last election on October 24, 1987, Scogin defeated the Democrat Earl D. Broom, 8,396 votes (56.6 percent) to 6,344 (43.4 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 24, 1987.</ref>​