Republicans in Louisiana are passing the bottle around tonight–they just snagged a fresh, high profile turncoat from the Democratic ranks. John Kennedy, the State Treasurer of Louisiana since his election in 1999, has bolted to the GOP after heavy recruitment by the likes of Karl Rove and David Vitter:
State Treasurer John Kennedy has switched political parties and will seek re-election to a third term this fall as a Republican, he announced Monday.Kennedy has been publicly mulling the switch for months, and he has clashed repeatedly with Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the Democratic leaders in the House and Senate over spending and other issues.
In an email message to supporters, Kennedy cited “certain fixed, bedrock principles” that he believes are more in line with the Republican Party than the Democrats, and said GOP officials have been more responsive to his proposals in recent years.
What are those “bedrock principles”? Kos has the straight dirt from Kennedy’s press release:
I also believe in the power of ideas. Every advancement in art, science, technology, business, cooking and medicine has occurred only after someone challenged the rules and tried another way. My career in public service demonstrates my belief in the power of looking for a better way. For the past several years, it has increasingly been the case that those public servants who have embraced my ideas and my philosophy of trying new approaches are primarily Republicans. I am grateful for their support and their willingness to try something different. (Emphasis added)
Cooking?! I had no idea that conservative Republicans were responsible for so many culinary breakthroughs. I hope Kennedy succeeds in his quest to bring Cajun food to a whole new level.
Kennedy, as you may recall, ran as a Democrat in the 2004 Senate race to succeed retiring Sen. John Breaux, scoring 15% of the vote. Party loyalty is not exactly a strong suit in a state that produced notable party-switchers such as Rodney Alexander, Billy Tauzin, Walter Boasso, and Ray Nagin, and with the state’s trending-red demographic catastrophe, I suspect that charges of opportunism will be fairly muted. By crossing the aisle now, Kennedy is setting himself up to run against Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu next year, to the immense delight of Rove and Vitter. Landrieu has decent approvals, but this will be the GOP’s #1 target in 2008. Expect a bloodbath.
It’s something that just six weeks after Louisiana’s highest ranking elected Republican, Senator David Vitter, made it clear that he cheated on his wife with prostitutes, Treasurer Kennedy declared that “I have concluded that the Republican Party is the party that best reflects my values today.” Some great values, huh?
Hopefully Democrats will run a credible candidate against Kennedy for Treasurer, if only to get him on the record with answers to questions like “If re-elected, do you promise Louisiana voters to serve your full term?” and “If you’re just going to run for another office next year, why should voters re-elect you to this office this year?”
Also, while Louisiana will be (and was always expected to be) a first-tier competitive race, it can also be said that this is not so much of a “recruiting coup” as it is the “last best option” with Rep. Bobby Jindal running for Governor, Reps. Charles Boustany, Jim McCrery, and Richard Baker all having said no to a 2008 Senate bid, and Secretary of State Jay Dardenne recently causing a car accident that sent him to surgery, from which he is now recovering.