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<p>Holloway unhappy Democrat elected Stands behind Fletcher remarks Bill Sumrall / Staff Reporter Posted on December 17, 2002 FOREST HILL - As a Republican, Clyde Holloway is unhappy a Democrat was elected in the 5th Congressional District.</p> <p>But, Holloway still doesn't regret remarks he made about Lee Fletcher, the Republican candidate in the Dec. 7 runoff.</p>

<p>COLUMN: Learn more is really less in the politics of Louisiana Wiley Hilburn / The Times Posted on December 16, 2002 It was a classic case of political overkill. Republican challenger Suzanne Haik Terrell seemed sure to topple an incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, if by a narrow margin.</p>

<p>A flier comparing Lee Fletcher to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has the Monroe Republican and 5th Congressional District candidate fuming at the alleged race-baiting tactics of his opponent, U.S. Rep-elect Rodney Alexander of Quitman.</p> <p>The flier, which states, "The more you listen to Lee Fletcher, the more he sounds like David Duke" also contains pictures of Fletcher and Duke, the former Mandeville-based white supremacist, and has quotes from both.</p>

<p>U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu also saw some huge gains in central Louisiana securing her 52 percent victory over Suzanne Haik Terrell.</p> <p>When the voting machines were opened and the ballots were counted in central Louisiana Tuesday, Landrieu and Alexander both saw more votes added to their winning totals.</p>

<p>Posted on December 10, 2002 Editor's note: This is an analysis.</p> <p>A remarkably unified black vote and the "Clyde factor" figured in election results in Rapides Parish on Saturday.</p> <p>Pre-election opinion polls had indicated almost 91 percent support for Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu from black voters. But even that high estimate may have been low.</p>

Alexander gives image of being less-polished Staff and Wire Reports Posted on December 9, 2002 MONROE - Soft-spoken and reserved, Rodney Alexander doesn't seem like a typical, polished politician, but he's been in political life for three decades. The 56-year-old Democrat has been a state legislator since 1988. Before that, he was a Jackson Parish police juror, beginning in 1972. The Quitman resident squeaked out a 518-vote victory over Republican Lee Fletcher of Monroe for the 5th District congressional seat that covers Northeast and Central Louisiana, according to complete but unofficial returns from the election held Saturday. The official count...

<p>Defying polls that showed him as the underdog, state Rep. Rodney Alexander won an extremely narrow victory Saturday for the 5th Congressional District seat.</p> <p>In complete, but unofficial, returns, Alexander, a Democrat, had 85,720 votes (50.15 percent) to 85,202 (49.85 percent) for Lee Fletcher, a Republican who had been chief of staff for 5th District Congressman John Cooksey.</p>

<p>The two candidates for the 5th Congressional District discussed negative campaign ads, tax hikes and whether the candidates had paid their taxes in a televised debate Tuesday night.</p> <p>"In the runoff, we were committed to clean ads," Fletcher said. "My opponent broke his word (not to run a negative campaign)."</p>

<p>U.S. Sen. John Breaux stumped through northeastern Louisiana Friday in an effort to help Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate and congressional races get the vote out in the Dec. 7 runoff.</p> <p>State Rep. Rodney Alexander, who is running for the vacant 5th Congressional District seat, and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, who is running for re-election, conducted campaign rallies in Ouachita, Lincoln, Union, Morehouse and Franklin parishes.</p>

<p>Republican Lee Fletcher accused Democratic opponent Rodney Alexander of beginning an attack campaign as the two men battle toward the Dec. 7 runoff election for the 5th Congressional District seat.</p> <p>"I hate to see him resort to this," said Fletcher of Monroe. "He is clearly trying to create a mudslinging environment, because he believes that's the only way he can win."</p>

Holloway labels fellow Republican Fletcher as 'mean spirited' Emily Peters / The Town Talk Posted on November 16, 2002 Clyde Holloway used a press conference Friday to decry campaign attacks against him prior to his defeat in the primary election and refused to throw his support to fellow Republican Lee Fletcher of Monroe for the 5th District seat in Congress. Fletcher edged out Holloway, a former congressman from Forest Hill, for the Dec. 7 runoff, when he will face Rep. Rodney Alexander, a Democrat from Quitman. Holloway insinuated that Fletcher was the culprit behind "hundreds of thousands" of anonymous anti-Holloway...

Runoff races are bringing money to Louisiana The Associated Press Posted on November 14, 2002 Louisiana's two runoffs - one for U.S. Senate, the other for the 5th Congressional District - aren't just bringing national politicians to the state, they're also bringing money. "It's the same kind of economic development as tourism," said Bob Eisenstadt, an economist at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. "Money is flowing into the state, and a lot of those dollars are imported. That's the best kind because it's new money injected into the economy." U.S. Sen. John Breaux, a Democrat, predicted that as much...

Cooksey, GOP rally around Fletcher Greg Hilburn / Business Reporter Posted on November 12, 2002 Republican Lee Fletcher got the nod from his old boss on Monday when U.S. Rep. John Cooksey endorsed his former chief of staff for the 5th Congressional District seat. Fletcher, of Monroe, faces state Rep. Rodney Alexander, D-Jonesboro, in a Dec. 7 runoff to replace Cooksey, R-Monroe, who kept his campaign promise to limit himself to three terms. "Lee did a great job as my chief of staff, and he'll do a great job as our next congressman," said Cooksey, who made an unsuccessful run...

Alexander and Fletcher head for 5th District runoff Posted on November 6, 2002 Two men head for a Dec. 7 runoff in the 5th Congressional District race, but not the two many had expected. Rep. Rodney Alexander of Quitman will face a surprise contender, former congressional aide Lee Fletcher. Many polls had placed former Republican Representative Clyde Holloway in the runoff, but he placed third. Alexander had 52,160 votes, or 29 percent of the total reported. Fletcher, a Republican and former chief of staff to outgoing Congressman John Cooksey, had 44,908 votes or 25 percent of the total. His second...

Five of seven candidates for the 5th Congressional District seat responded to questions Wednesday in a televised forum, trying to score votes before next week's election. Rodney Alexander, D-Quitman, Robert Barham, R-Oak Ridge, Lee Fletcher, R-Monroe, Clyde Holloway, R-Forest Hill and Sam Houston Melton, D-Winnfield, responded to questions from reporters. Issues included homeland security, health care focusing on prescription drug assistance for Medicare recipients, the war on terrorism and the threat from Iraq, and economic issues including agriculture and free trade, among others. Barham, a state senator, said, as a combat veteran, he "would never take lightly a vote to...

Holloway leads in 5th District poll Bill Sumrall / Staff Reporter Posted on October 29, 2002 Running strong in his home parish, Clyde Holloway of Forest Hill leads the pack of candidates seeking the 5th Congressional District seat, a new poll shows. Holloway, a Republican, appears to be headed for a runoff, according to the Mason-Dixon poll, conducted Oct. 16-18. The Town Talk co-sponsored the poll. The poll shows Holloway is supported by 28 percent of probable voters. State Rep. Rodney Alexander, D-Quitman, finished second in the polling, with 21 percent of the probable vote. Third was state Sen. Robert...

5th District race getting aggressive Posted on October 28, 2002 T he campaign for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District seat has gotten personal. First, the Republican National Campaign Committee bought two TV ads attacking Democrat Rodney Alexander, a state representative from Jonesboro. Then, last week two of the Republicans in the race turned on each other, with state Sen. Robert Barham of Oak Ridge buying a TV attack ad against former U.S. Rep. Clyde Holloway. By the end of the week, Holloway retaliated against Barham with a TV ad of his own. The election is Nov. 5 "During the last two...

<p>An 11-point lead Lamar Alexander had over Bob Clement in early July in the race for the U.S. Senate has widened even more, according to a new Tennessean poll.</p> <p>Alexander, the Republican candidate, now has a 19-point margin with only 8% undecided.</p>

Alexander grabs 18-point advantage over Clement By Tom Humphrey The Knoxville News-Sentinel September 16, 2002 Republican Lamar Alexander has a commanding lead in the U.S. Senate race over Democrat Bob Clement, according to a new Tennessee Poll. "Alexander has all but got this thing wrapped up - unless something really strange happens," said Dr. Michael Gant, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, political science professor and director of the UT Social Science Research Institute. Forty-five percent of the 605 registered voters who took part in the statewide telephone survey said they intended to vote for Alexander, a former governor, in November....

Clement Camp Says Alexander Lead Is 7 Points posted September 12, 2002 Democratic pundit Tommy Burnett today cited recent a new poll placing Bob Clement "only 7 points behind Lamar Alexander despite the fact that Alexander has spent millions on television advertising and Clement has yet to spend one dime," the Clement campaign said. A tracking poll taken this week puts Alexander under 50% at 49, with Clement landing on 42%, it was stated. Burnett made these remarks this morning on Teddy Bart's Roundtable: "The polls that were run, particularly a tracking poll that was run September the 9th, statewide,...