Are Dems finally lining up a challenger to take on GOP Sen. David Vitter? Roll Call reports that state Sen. Eric LaFleur may be close to making a decision:
LaFleur said this week that he’s been in touch with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee about the race and “we are going in that direction.”
However, LaFleur said he doesn’t expect to make a final decision on a Senate bid until after the state legislative session ends.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard LaFleur’s name tossed around for this race — and if the DSCC is asking him out to this dance, it might mean that some of the bigger names (Chris John, Charlie Melancon, Don Cazayoux, and self-funder Jim Bernhard) are taking a pass. Whatever the case, “we are moving in that direction” is about the most exuberant statement we’ve heard from a prospective Democrat about this race so far.
Meanwhile, Republican Secretary of State Jay Dardenne is neither shitting nor getting off the pot:
While the names of other would-be primary challengers to Sen. David Vitter (R) have come and gone, Secretary of State Jay Dardenne (R) said this week that he remains on the fence about a 2010 Senate bid.
“I’m continuing to get a lot of encouragement from a lot of people,” Dardenne said Tuesday. “I have not decided to run, nor have I ruled out the possibility that I may run.”
Maybe this jerkweed just likes the free press.
But he seems to have the right kind of profile for a Democratic candidate to win in Louisiana.
A rough oversimplified breakdown: The Democratic base is the 30% (+/- since Katrina) African-American population, the Republicans rely on the 40% white Protestant vote concentrated in northern LA and the New Orleans suburbs. The swing votes come from the 30% of the vote from the French/Catholic parishes, who are historical Democratic but often vote for Republicans these days.
The Democrats who have won statewide tend to be Cajun/Catholics (Mary & Mitch Landrieu, John Breaux, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Edwin Edwards, etc). LaFleur meets the ethnic/religious/geographic formula.
He also seems to be the kind of socially conservative Democrat who wins statewide statewide in LA (hard to tell for sure, but his legislative website emphasizes gun legislation that he sponsored approved by the NRA).
Anyone from Louisiana know anything much about LaFleur? What kind of campaigner and fundraiser would he be? Where does he stand on the liberal/moderate/conservative scale? Could he get elected?
Glad the DSCC is looking here — would be great to take out Vitter – and he is definitely vulnerable to the right candidate.
The only “LaFleur” I can think of is Lost.