Louisiana Senate Possibilities

Bayou Buzz ^ | 1/6/2004 | Jeff Crouere

[JohnnyZ]

The hottest race in Louisiana in 2004 will be for the U.S. Senate. With John Breaux retiring, many prominent politicians are considering a run for the most exclusive club in the country. Of course, Congressmen Chris John of (D-Crowley) and David Vitter (R-Metairie) are going to be strong candidates. John will have the unofficial backing of John Breaux and Vitter already has the support of Louisiana GOP Chairman Pat Brister. Nevertheless, let’s look at some other possible candidates:

Ø State Treasurer John Kennedy. He is a conservative Democrat, and lives on the Northshore. Kennedy has aspirations for higher office and was a candidate for governor last year before dropping out prior to qualifying. Kennedy would try to run as a more conservative democrat than John and position himself between Vitter and John ideologically

Ø Attorney General Richard Ieyoub. In a poll conducted by Dr. Ed Renwick, Ieyoub leads both Vitter and John in the U.S. Senate race. Ieyoub is well known and has shown an ability to garner plenty of votes in statewide elections. Unfortunately, he has finished third in prior races for the U.S. Senate and Governor. Ieyoub needs to shake a “loser” image if he wants to be successful in this race. He would run to the left of John and appeal to populist Democrats

Ø Buddy Leach. Of course the former congressman spent the most in the governor’s race and still has a large fortune. He would be the most liberal candidate in any race. An unlikely candidate due to his age and poor showing in the governor’s race, despite spending a fortune

Ø New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. An interesting rumor is now spreading across New Orleans concerning the political future of the mayor. Will Nagin run for U.S. Senate? Probably not, however it is certainly interesting to speculate about the race. Although an African-American Democrat, Nagin is extremely popular with white voters in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. He could be a more appealing candidate to statewide voters than most African-American Democrats. The problem for Nagin is that he is not that popular with African-American voters in New Orleans, especially after his endorsement of Bobby Jindal in the governor’s race.

In the end, some of these candidates will probably run. Vitter and John will have some competition; however, the full outline of the race is still a mystery. Look for some Republicans, especially Governor Mike Foster who despises Vitter, to find another GOP candidate to run. Also, some Democrats will look for a more liberal candidate than John to represent the populist wing of the party. Needless to say, it will be an interesting political year.

[JohnnyZ]

Crouere predicts another Republican in the race, but can't name one. Jindal is currently looking at the 1st CD race, although he'd have company in that primary.

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