Free Republic

Boustany, Melancon top vote Tauzin III awaits final tally By PATRICK COURREGES and ANGELA SIMONEAUX Acadiana bureau Southern Louisiana voters Saturday appeared to have decided the last two congressional races in the nation, electing Democrat Charlie Melancon in the 3rd District and Republican Charles Boustany Jr. in the 7th District, giving the Democratic and Republican parties a split of the final two seats available. But the 3rd District race was decided by slightly more than 500 votes out of more than 114,000 cast, and 3rd District Republican candidate Billy Tauzin III is not conceding the race. In the 3rd District,...

Governor stumps for Melancon By WILL SENTELL wsentell@theadvocate.com Capitol news bureau NEW IBERIA -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco campaigned Wednesday for fellow Democrat Charlie Melancon in a 3rd District race widely labeled as one of the nastiest political contests in years. Blanco, who attended grade school a short hop across Bayou Teche from where she spoke, praised Melancon as an experienced leader who will stick up for south Louisiana even if that means tangling with Republican President Bush. During a noon rally, Blanco also jabbed Republican Billy Tauzin III, Melancon's GOP opponent, who hopes to succeed his father in Congress. The...

Tauzin advocates more local control of education dollars By PATRICK COURREGES pcourreges@theadvocate.com Acadiana bureau Billy Tauzin III, candidate for Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District, said Tuesday he wants to reverse the spending priorities of federal school accountability requirements and push for more local control of federal education dollars. Tauzin, a Thibodaux Republican and regional manager for BellSouth, is one of six candidates in the race to replace his father, U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Chackbay, who is retiring. The other five candidates are fellow Republicans Kevin Chiasson, a former doctor from the Thibodaux area; state Sen. Craig Romero of New Iberia; and...