Of the eight state legislators who ran for other offices on the primary ballot this year, only two are leaving the Legislature for sure, another is facing a runoff and five others were handed defeats.
Some, but not all, of the lawmakers are facing term limits, meaning they are prohibited from seeking re-election to the House or Senate in 2015.
State Rep. Hunter Greene, R-Baton Rouge, is definitely saying goodbye to the Legislature after capturing a family court seat by 67-33 over his opponent last week. Earlier in the primary cycle, Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Benton, won a gavel in the 26th Judicial District in the best way imaginable: without opposition.
On the losing side, Rep. Alfred Williams, D-Baton Rouge, will have to stay in the House after being defeated for a Baton Rouge judge seat by Trudy White 59-34. In Shreveport’s wild race for mayor, Rep. Patrick Williams, D-Shreveport, was squeezed out of the runoff and landed in third place with 22 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, Rep. Dee Richard, No Party-Thibodaux, lost his bid for Lafourche Parish assessor, falling behind Wendy Thibodeaux 51-32.
Two other legislators lost on the federal level during the primary cycle. In the 6th Congressional District, Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, and Rep. Lenar Whitney, R-Houma, were both eliminated from that runoff.
Meanwhile, Rep. Chris Hazel, R-Pineville, now moves to a runoff for district attorney in Rapides Parish. He beat out former Rep. Chris Roy for the second runoff spot by 1,920 votes. Hazel faces Pineville City Judge Phillip Terrell in the December runoff.
Business shaping school board elections
The business communities in East Baton Rouge, Jefferson and Lafayette parishes helped steer the primary school board elections in their own backyards during the primary and they shaped campaign dialogues. The activism is continuing into the runoff as well.
But the question moving forward, despite the various outcomes, is whether this is the beginning of a statewide trend in Louisiana.
“It’s possible,” said Stephen Waguespack, president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. “I think people are chasing the fight where it goes. We spent the last decade passing new laws on the state level, and the hole has been in implementing them on the local level. It’s like finding where the water is running on a leaky faucet.”
Waguespack said the “big test” is in Jefferson Parish, where the business community has made a major push in previous cycles to elect a school board that agrees with its vision. With a decent grasp on the election landscape heading into this year, business and industry was challenged by national unions that wanted to unseat the board they built.
“A lot of people want to know how that plays out,” Waguespack added. “It could let us know what could be in store elsewhere.”
Following the primary results, labor forces and the business community each secured three seats on the Jefferson Parish School Board. That showed the unions can indeed fight back. That also makes the two remaining seats in the runoff all the more important for both sides. Business currently has a 5-4 majority there.
In East Baton Rouge, corporate activists are following the model implemented in Jefferson, Waguespack says, with their own touches. Businessman Lane Grigsby and others have created the Better Schools for Better Futures PAC to bring new faces to the board. The reform movement also includes LABI and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.
One of the PAC’s candidates won in the primary, two lost and three are now in runoffs.
In Acadiana, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce has formed the Empower PAC to “end the dysfunction of our school board.”
Of the seven pro-business candidates backed by the Lafayette PAC, only three secured victory last week.
Noticeable turnover expected on local levels
Roughly 20 percent or more of the municipal officials elected this cycle will be new to their offices.
“It could possibly be higher than that, based on what we saw last spring,” said Ronnie Harris, executive director of the Louisiana Municipal Association, referring to a one-third turnover from the last municipal cycle. “That’s going to put a lot of pressure on us to make sure they’re trained as soon as possible in the basics of the basics, like ethics laws, open meetings, public bid law and so on.”
Of the mayoral races on the ballot this fall, 65 were unopposed and 91 of the races fielded 232 candidates. For chiefs of police, 50 were unopposed and 70 races drew 185 candidates, according to Harris.
Perkins changes mind, backs Cassidy
After harping from the right that he wasn’t conservative enough or in line with stances from Evangelical Republicans, Congressman Bill Cassidy picked up the endorsement of faith activist Tony Perkins late Friday.
Perkins previously endorsed retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness, who ran third in the U.S. Senate primary.
Perkins told The Hill, a D.C. newspaper, last week that he was unlikely to support Cassidy in a runoff and that the congressman would have a “hard time” winning in December.His change of heart followed a personal meeting with Cassidy sometime Friday.
Perkins, president of the D.C.-based Family Research Forum, sent a letter to Cassidy after the meeting explaining his decision.
“I now believe that you share our commitment to religious freedom, and you agree it is of paramount importance to our nation,” Perkins wrote in the letter obtained by LaPolitics.
The Louisiana Family Forum, which Perkins once ran and is based in Baton Rouge, is also planning a pro-life, pro-Cassidy media blitz, according to sources. It will not be an official endorsement, but the public relations push will be supportive of Cassidy stances, based on a press release that will soon be issued.
They Said It
“In the South, now Democrats are as rare as a snowy day — without even taking climate change into account.” —Democratic consultant Donna Brazile, via Twitter
Be the first to comment