Posted on 07/11/2008 6:55:49 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
BATON ROUGE -- State Rep. Michael Jackson of Baton Rouge pulled the biggest surprise of federal qualifying this week, joining the 6th Congressional District race as an independent after failing to win the seat earlier this year as a Democrat.
The move complicates the re-election hopes of U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads, who defeated Jackson in a primary runoff of a special election this spring. It also could revive tensions between black Louisiana Democrats and national party leaders who clashed over the party's role in a special election earlier this year.
Cazayoux is white. Jackson is black. Some black Democrats have accused the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, an arm of the national party, of throwing its support behind Cazayoux before he had claimed the nomination. Cazayoux, then a state House member, went on to defeat GOP nominee Woody Jenkins in the general election to succeed Republican Richard Baker, who retired early.
"I'm not trying to hide the ball. I'm not trying to confuse voters," Jackson said, explaining that he is still a Democrat and would caucus with Democrats in Congress. He simply does not want again to take on the national party's chosen candidate in a primary, he said. "Politics is politics. It is what it is."
He also pointed to low turnout in the special primary runoff. "Fourteen percent is not an election," he said.
If no one else qualifies before 5 p.m. today the Nov. 4 general election would feature Cazayoux, Jackson and Republican state Sen. William Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
This can only end in tears. [snigger]
Louisiana has the odd system where if one candidate does not receive fifty percent plus one vote then the top two candidates have a runoff? In that case this wont make much difference to the final outcome.
I do not know about a runoff, but if this splits the Dem vote, seems it can only help the Republican.
News flash on this race- Woody Jenkins announced that he won’t be a candidate.
Ok, is that good?
“Ok, is that good?”
Yes, it is. Woody Jenkins is an upstanding person, but he wasn’t the right right candidate. I salute him for his past accomplishments, just the same.
He was the one who lost the special election then. It’s good he’s moving on. We have a race here.
[cue the .gif of that kid saying “THAT’S RACIST!”]
This election will be a ...thriller.
Yeah, but is Jackson a smooth criminal?
The Michael Jackson Burger: 45-year old meat between 10-year old buns.
Is Bill Cassidy the only Republican now?
Yes.
Is Bill Cassidy a conservative Republican or an elitist Republican? I get nervous when I see that elitist businesses are supporting him. Elitist Republicans support amnesty for illegal immigrants for cheap labor reasons as well as for the “idea” that it will, somehow, encourage the majority of Hispanic voters to vote for the Republican Party over the Democratic Party(Yea, right!).
I don’t blame Jenkins for withdrawing. He’s been screwed royally by both parties in LA. Is Cassidy in any position to get any real support ? It’s just hard to dislodge incumbents in federal office in the state.
“Is Bill Cassidy a conservative Republican or an elitist Republican?”
I don’t know the answer to that. I only know that he’s a doctor and state Senator.
Louisiana no longer has the “jungle primary” for federal races, so the Republican could win with less than 50% in November.
Thanks
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