Posted on 10/20/2007 8:27:48 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BATON ROUGE, La. - In his second bid for governor, Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal strongly led a field of 12 candidates in the Louisiana gubernatorial race late Saturday night as he attempted to avoid a Nov. 17 runoff.
Jindal, 36, the Oxford-educated son of Indian immigrants, needed more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary to win outright without a runoff. Victory would make him Louisiana's first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction and the nation's youngest governor in office upon taking the oath in January.
With about 70 percent of the vote in, Jindal had 53 percent with 444,550. His nearest competitors: Democrat Walter Boasso with 155,154 votes or 18 percent; Independent John Georges had 120,103 votes or 14 percent; Democrat Foster Campbell with 109,375 or 13 percent. Eight candidates divided the rest.
Jindal was leading in most parishes but there were still precincts in predominantly black New Orleans and in rural areas of the state to be counted.
Virtually no one questions that Jindal, who lost to Democrat Kathleen Blanco four years ago, will be atop the field of a dozen candidates when the votes are tallied. But Democrats Walter Boasso and Foster Campbell and independent John Georges hope they can keep Jindal's support under 50 percent, sending him into a Nov. 17 runoff election.
But analysts also said Jindal built up support as a sort of "buyer's remorse" from people who voted for Blanco last time and had second thoughts about that decision amid widespread public dissatisfaction with the Democratic governor after Hurricane Katrina.
"I think the Jindal camp, almost explicitly, (wanted) to cast it this way: If you were able to revote, who would you vote for?" said Pearson Cross, a University of Louisiana at Lafayette political scientist.
Jindal has held a strong lead in the polls since the field of candidates became settled nearly two months ago.
But the two multimillionaires in the race — Boasso, a state senator from St. Bernard Parish, and Georges, a New Orleans-area businessman — have poured millions of their own dollars into their campaigns to try to prevent Jindal's victory.
Campbell, a public service commissioner from Bossier Parish, has had a more limited amount of funds to tap but has run on a singular plan: scrapping the state income tax on businesses and individuals and levying a new tax on oil and gas processed in Louisiana.
The race has been one of the highest-spending in Louisiana history. Jindal alone raised $11 million, and Georges poured about $10 million of his personal wealth into his campaign war chest while Boasso plugged in nearly $5 million of his own cash.
A victory Saturday would be a rare trip to statewide office for a minority in the South — in a state that 16 years ago famously saw a former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, in a runoff for governor. Duke lost that race.
Voter turnout was brisk, though were reports of some problems at polls in New Orleans, where many people have moved around since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Polls closed at 8 p.m.
State Elections Commissioner Angie LaPlace said she had expected many complaints because a check of voters' addresses found that a "ton" had moved, and those whose mail is forwarded must vote in the precinct where they now get mail.
Sandra Wilson, the Orleans Parish registrar of voters, said she had received many calls from voters who weren't allowed to vote in their accustomed place. "We are trying to explain the process," she said, but did not know exactly how many people were affected.
Addresses are verified statewide each year, but the Legislature postponed last year's review because so many people were displaced, LaPlace said.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Louisiana Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal and his wife Supriya along with son Shaan Robert Jindal watch early returns in their hotel room at their election night party headquarters in Baton Rouge, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
next, a new mayor for new orleans.
Wow! You mean they didn’t vote for the crook this time?
Jindal was leading in most parishes but there were still precincts in predominantly black New Orleans and in rural areas of the state to be counted.”
Not to mention all the cemeteries, since all the dead folks uniformly vote Democrat; funny how that works, not a single vote for a Republican.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
As I recall it was DEMOCRATS THAT USED RACISM TO DEFEAT Jindal the first time.
Wow! You mean they didn’t vote for the crook this time?
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