Race for Breaux's Senate Seat Takes Shape

Shreveport, LA, Times ^ | 12-22-03 | Hill, John

[Theodore R.]

Candidates Chris John, David Vitter present differences.

John Hill Posted on December 22, 2003 BATON ROUGE - So far, the U.S. Senate race of 2004 could be shaping up to reflect this past fall's gubernatorial runoff campaign.

The two candidates who are definitely in the battle are a conservative Democrat and an ultra-conservative Republican.

[KellyAdmirer]

Makes it sound like they might as well not even have the election, as if Breaux and John are indistinguishable and Vitter = David Duke. Are we headed for another close loss statewide there?

[Theodore R.]

The reporter John Hill was a great admirer of former Governor Edwin Washington Edwards {prior to the jailing}. Breaux was an aide to EWE and succeeded EWE in Congress. Chris John succeeded Breaux in the House (maybe not directly) and is the obvious Breaux choice and the odds-on favorite to take the senatorial oath in January 2005. People in LA will do anything Breaux tells them.

[Theodore R.]

When I wrote that Hill was a great admirer of EWE, I meant that his articles over the years presented the news from the Edwards main-stream viewpoint in LA. He in fact may not really "admire" EWE.

[Theodore R.]

Now we see John Hill showing his "liberal" coloration by referring to David Vitter as "an ultra-conservative" before even mentioning Vitter's name. I suspect from this article that John Hill will be personally voting for Chris John.

[JohnnyZ]

Kennedy could do very well in this race. If John has to go up against Ieyoub and Kennedy in a fight to get into the runoff -- well, he's only represented one CD out of ... 6? It would be very difficult to brush I & K out of the way for J given their constituencies and popularity.

To my mind, Kennedy picks up the Blanco and Ewing folks, Ieyoub picks up the Leach support, and John has to rely on his constituents and what he can wrest away elsewhere.

Kennedy would probably be the strongest runoff candidate for the Democrats, as he is widely respected across the state and across party lines, and conservative.

[Theodore R.]

You are right, and with a name like "John Kennedy," many in LA will support him. Their ancestors pulled the JFK-LBJ levers in 1960. Imagine how the national media would warm to another "Senator John Kennedy." I just thought that Breaux's support of Chris John would mean the automatic transfer of the seat.

[babble-on]

for the record, in case anyone is wondering, the National Journal costs $800 per year, not $800,000 per year. 800,000 is the number of annoying bits of spam, junk mail and junk faxes they send me per year.

[paul544]

Our track record in LA has sucked. Can't figure that state out.

[ArmstedFragg]

The reporter John Hill was a great admirer of former Governor Edwin Washington Edwards {prior to the jailing}.

So I guess by his reporting standards then we could refer to him as "John Hill, a reporter who comes from the same state where the former governor was convicted of a crime", right?

See? Everybody can do it!

[Theodore R.]

If there is John, Kennedy, Ieyoub, and a black Democrat running too, then Vitter might not even be in the "general election." Of course, no black has yet announced, but one might. If so, Vitter could probably defeat only a black or maybe Ieyoub, but not John or Kennedy.