LA-2008: Rundown on Senate and House Races
By Vladimir Posted in 2008 | Louisiana — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Landrieu-Kennedy Senate battle tops fall political lineup
This article provides a decent rundown of this fall's elections, the first regular election in recent history to feature party primaries. The three-day qualifying period opens Wednesday.
The two [Senatorial] candidates both plan three-day tours of the state this week to launch a contest that features atypical juxtapositions.
[State Treasurer John] Kennedy four years ago endorsed John Kerry for president and campaigned for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat with a platform arguably more liberal than Landrieu's record in the Senate. Kennedy criticized some of President Bush's tax cuts that Landrieu supported.
Those are points that [Roger] Villere, the GOP chief, conceded Kennedy must address. "He can't run from it," Villere said, adding that Kennedy has been well-received among rank-and-file Republicans.
Landrieu, meanwhile, hammers the unpopular Republican administration that she cozied up to when running in 2002.
She touts her place as a Senate centrist, but she is unqualified in her support for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, who by any measure has a Senate voting record well to Landrieu's left.
[snip]
However she frames her candidacy, Landrieu will have to win over voters who have not supported her before. Her victory margins in 1996 and 2002 came from Orleans Parish, which has seen its voter rolls depleted since Hurricane Katrina.
The suggestion that we could take back the Senate this year with anything short of an October terrorist attack that makes Sept. 11 look like child's play is ludicrous. This is our only target. New Mexico and Virginia are over (unless Warner becomes the VP candidate, which he has already said he would not). New Hampshire pretty much is too, and Udall has created daylight in Colorado. I don't even have to go start talking about the ten or so other races that could very well flip to make my point that we simply can't take it back this year. Now if you want to spend time and energy trying to hold Virginia, that's your business, but expect the thank yous to come from the Democrats, not me.
...the bartender really could serve me what he's drinking. Nothing I ingest ever successfully detaches my grip on reality so dramatically.
I was a little quick to react before understanding we were talking about LA's Kennedy.
Thank You so much! I want more posters to please do this in the states they reside. I know I love them and its always better to have on the ground reporting.
LA 6 Cazayoux (D)
The Republicans appear to be getting behind State Senator Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge and Rep. Michael Jakcson, D-Baton Rouge, a African American is expected to file as an independent.
This looks to be good news! Any thought LA posters on this race as well?
I did a quick scan of LA 6 and Cazayoux, he's a pretty conservative Democrat. Pro Life, Pro Second Amendment, only real clinker is his stance on the war in Iraq. What's the defining issue, well other than the war in Iraq, what differentiates the two candidates ?
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NObama...no way!.....McCain '08 !
Actually he is a pretty liberal Democrat. Do not be fooled he has already voted in lock step with Pelosi.
It seems that Louisianans like what their new governor has been able to do. The state's demographics have changed significantly since Katrina? Why is Landrieu still ahead?
McCain and Kennedy would both benefit.
If Kennedy can beat Landrieu and we can hold all of the endangered seats (Colorado, New Hampshire, Virginia, etc.), we MIGHT be able to take the Senate back from Tsar Reid and his merry cabal.
Proudly supporting John S. McCain for President (McCain/Romney?)