From the Associated Press:
Gov. Kathleen Blanco, whose popularity plummeted after two hurricanes devastated Louisiana during her first term, will not seek re-election, according to a letter written by Blanco and obtained by The Associated Press.“Today, I am announcing that, after much thought and prayer, I have decided not to seek re-election as your governor,” Blanco said in the letter, which was provided by a source in the Democratic Party on condition of anonymity.
Elected Louisiana’s first female governor in 2003, Blanco, a Democrat from the state’s Cajun country, had already drawn a half-dozen challengers for this fall’s election – including popular Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, whom she defeated the last time with 52 percent of the vote. Former U.S. Sen. John Breaux, a popular Democrat, has said he will decide soon whether to enter the race.
With Blanco out and John Breaux presumably announcing his candidacy within the next few days, at the very least, Louisiana Democrats are buying an extra inning to hold on to the state. At best, Breaux’s entry will be exactly what’s needed to throw a monkey wrench in hard-right Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal’s longtime gubernatorial ambitions. Expect a lot of mud to be hurled at Breaux about how he’s “gone Washington” and lived out of state for a couple of years. It won’t be easy, but I think we can all agree that Breaux’s chances, even with one hand tied behind his back due to his residency issues, are a heck of a lot better than those of a damaged Kathleen Blanco.
And another note: whomever ends up as the Democratic nominee in the Kentucky gubernatorial race should be grateful that major Republican resources will have to be split with at least one other state during the 2007 elections.
Race Tracker: LA-Gov
If Louisiana Democrats wanted to do more than just buy another inning, they’d select Foster Campbell as their nominee. He’s got a plan that would eliminate the state income tax, and STILL bring in more money than the income tax ever did.
Breaux will engender negative attacks all season long. He’ll be labeled a scalwag, a carpetbagger, etc.
I would not be surprised to see Breaux leading when the first polls are out. He will be a very strong candidate.
I see four possible outcomes:
I’m rooting for option #1.
P.S. I gotta believe that the Louisiana Democratic Party’s lawyers are certain that the flap over Breaux’s residency will be settled in short order, or they wouldn’t have proceeded with such a gambit.
Are they going to try and convince the people of Louisiana that someone they elected to the United States Senate multiple times, and someone who’s last name is “Breaux,” is a “carpetbagger?” Should be an easy charge for Breaux to counter.
Is there polling out already on a Breaux/Jindal race? I don’t doubt Breaux’s popularity (though he hasn’t really faced a competitive opponent in over 20 years), but it would be good to know where things stand at the moment.
I’m a Republican. I support Jindal as if he were family. Now, before you start throwing tomatoes at me, I also hope that Breaux runs against him.
Breaux is a ver conservative and respected Democrat. Breaux might well be able to cut through Washington red-tape better than almost anyone else. And that is something LA needs now. However, Jindal is much more intelligent and has the vision to fix LA’s problems.
I’m just so glad that Blanco bowed out. Regardless of who wins, the race will be about what can be done in the future, not what happened in the past.
You asked about the poll showing Jindal winning – here it is. I’m not sure I believe it, as I’m sure that Breaux will have a much better showing. Professionally, I will surely be meeting with him to discuss issues relevant to my industry. I expect that meeting will decide my vote. I’ve already met with Jindal numerous times (hence my bias towards him at this point).
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In a poll taken by noted political analyst, Bernie Pinsonat, Rep. Bobby Jindal beats lobbyist John Breaux by 30 points. The relevant section is as follows and a link to the full article written by Chris Tidmore is below:
“Pollsters, like Bernie Pinsonat of Southern Media & Opinion Research, tell thenew995fm.com that the latest polls show that former U.S. Senator John Breaux would be `a significant underdog’ in a race against Republican Congressman Bobby Jindal. Pinsonat says the latest survey shows Jindal leading Breaux by nearly 30%, with 55% of those polled favoring Jindal and 25.6% supporting Breaux. The pollster says `not a lot of people could name anything he (Breaux) has done for Louisiana recently.'”