Louisiana Politics - Louisiana Governor's Election

2007-08-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

Louisiana Politics is part of the culture of Louisiana. Louisiana has had its share of colorful politicians: Huey Long, Earl Long, Edwin Edwards, David Duke, etc. In 2007, we had a Governor's race in Louisiana that included several prominant politicians..

The governor's election campaign started off as a tame affair with Republican Bobby Jindal a "certainty" to win it all in the first primary. Both former Senator John Breaux and incumbent Governor Kathleen Blanco declined to oppose Jindal and he did win it all in the first primary.

The big political question in Louisiana now is " Who will oppose Jindal in 2011?

Top Louisiana Politicians

2007-08-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

Politics, notably the politics of the state of Louisiana, is the subject of this blog. Louisiana politics were greatly influenced by the the tragic hurricane event (Katrina) of 2005 and to the reaction of elected officials to the hurricane and flood that followed.

A governor's election in 2007 pitted some of the top Louisiana politicians against each other. However, A surprising large number of top political figures elected not to try for the governor's office.

The top political figures of Louisiana (my ranking) follows.

1. Governor Bobby Jindal (Republican) - Lousiana's political "wonder boy." Won the Louisiana Governorship in 2007 against a weak field. Incumbent Governor Kathleen Blanco elected not to run for reelection and former Louisiana Senator John Breaux decided to not seek the governor's office due to residency problems.

Once taking office, Jindal pushed for ethics reforms and achieved them. However, he has achieved little else and has spent much of his time "running for president" although he adamantly denies that he is doing so. Jindal is Rush Limbaugh's favorite candidate and Limbaugh claims that Jindal will be the new Ronald Reagan.

Jindal is a terrible speaker but is a very brainy guy with good support in Louisiana. If he would forget about running for president for awhile, he might be able to get Louisiana moving off the bottom of all the lists rating the states. But is the lure of presidency (or vice-presidency) in 2012 too great for Jindal?

Come on Governor, show your true genius, get rid of Limbaugh, and get something solid going for Louisiana. Then, you might have a chance at the presidency if Obama bombs out!

2. Senator Mary Landrieu (Democrat) Senator Landrieu is my second ranked Louisiana politician. Senator Landrieu gave the State Republicans and the national Republicans a royal kick in the butt in 2002. and repeated the feat in 2008 against a weaker-than-expected Republican candidate - State Treasurer John Kennedy. The Republicans had sworn to get revenge and Kennedy, a smart, honest .politician but, like Jindal, a terrible speaker, was not the candidate to do the job.

Landrieu is now good for another 6 years in office to torment Republicans.

3. U.S. Senator David Vitter (Republican) - Before his whoring scandal broke, Vitter was a well-placed Senator and there was even talk of him as a future presidential or vice-presidential candidate for the Republicans. Alas, all that talk has stopped and Vitter.

But, lets give the devil his due. Intellectually speaking, Vitter is far above the other Republican politicians in the state. His potential is enormous and I hope he gets back on his feet so that he can do something for Louisiana.

Senator Vitter is up for election in 2010 but polls show him with a substantial lead.

4. US Representative Charles Melancon (Democrat). Melancon is one of the few top-ranked politicians to do an excellent job in the aftermath of Katrina. He has rapidly moved up in the Democratic ranks and he has announced that he will challenge Republican Senator - David Vitter - in 2010. Melancon probably has little choice if he wants to represent Louisiana in Washington. Louisiana stands to lose a Representative seat in congress next year and the word is Melancon's seat will be the one to go. Despite Vitter's sexual scandal, Melancon will be a decided underdog to Vitter in the election.

5. Lt.- Governor Mitch Landrieu (Democrat).. Senator Mary Landrieu's brother. Landrieu is a pleasant, competent politician. He lost a tough race to Mayor Nagin for New Orleans Mayor in 2006. Landrieu again ran for mayor in 2010 and was easily elected (Mayor Nagin could not run for reelection).

6. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (Democrat). A fine mayor before hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans. After Katrina, the Mayor has been almost totally involved in rebuilding the city. In this difficult job, he has made many political mistakes not the least of which is shooting off his mouth on any subject he chooses. As a result of his problems, he has lost most of his political support.

In 2006, with half the devastated population of the city scattered around the country, he stood for election. The local politicians smelled blood and a total of 23 candidates opposed him. Incredibly, and with the help of cynical Republicans, he won reelection.

The cynical Republicans had no love for Nagin but sought to embarrass Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu whose brother, Mitch Landrieu, opposed Nagin in the runoff. Senator Landrieu had given the Republicans several severe beatings and they were out to get her. Nagin won the runoff but the embarrassement of Mary Landrieu failed to stop her from winning reelection in 2008.

7. US Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao (Republican). Cao defeated the indicted Representative Bill Jefferson for Jefferson's seat in 2008. But can he survive reelection in 2010 in his "black" district. Cao is the first representative of Vietnamese heritage to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

8. US Representative Steve Scalise (Republican). Defended his newly-won seat in 2008 against a well-healed Democrat. Scalise is probably the most right-wing of any politician in Louisiana. But his district is perfect for him.

9. Shaw CEO Jim Bernhard (Democrat). Former leader of the Louisiana State Democratic Party. Very wealthy. Bernhard has the money to run for a major political office. He is often mentioned as an opponent for Senator Vitter in 2010 but, so far, has stayed clear of the race.

10. Former Governor Kathleen Blanco. Blanco declined to run for reelction in 2007 and it was probably a good thing. She would have been a decided underdog to the winner, Bobby Jindal. But Blanco still has about $3 million in her campaign fund and the public office bug might bite her again. She could challenge Governor Jindal in 2011 but she would still be the underdog (unless Jindal upsets Louisiana voters with his perpetual presidential quest). She could go after Senator Vitter's job but I wonder if she really wants to live in Washington. More likely, she will eventually just contribute her campaign fund to deserving Democratic candidates.