Hi all,
I made it my New Year's Resolution to post on the blogs more often; so far I've joined millions of other Americans in failing miserably to fulfill mine. Hopefully I can turn that around from now on, starting with this nugget of information.
http://www.businessreport.com/...
In Louisiana, Governor Kathleen Blanco is up for reelection after what can only be described as a "challenging" time in office so far. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding bayous, and has STILL not be addressed yet in Washington. Blanco, fairly or not has taken part of the blame for the debacle, and her approval rating is in the tank.
Her 2003 opponent, now-Congressman Bobby Jindal (who got 48% in the runoff) is off and running again, although State Senator Walter Boasso (http://www.getitdonela.org/) is also in the running for the GOP. State Public Service Commisssioner Foster Campbell (http://fostercampbell.com/) is running as a Democrat, but since it's an open primary system for the 1st round (until next year, at any rate)all three men will be in the running.
A SUSA poll conducted last month had Jindal leading Blanco by a 59-35% margin; when Campbell was included, Jindal led 57-31-6%. As things stand right now, Blanco is too unpopular - and Campbell too unknown - to beat Jindal.
This is where John Breaux comes in. Remember him? He was a US Senator from Louisiana from 1987-2005, winning his reelection victories easily. A moderate Democrat, leaning often towards the center, he retired in 2004 after passing on a Gubernatorial run in 2003 (when the seat was open). Earlier this year, he downplayed interest in running for office again, but according to the article I linked to above, that has changed...
Former Sen. John Breaux has told sources he is "very interested" in running for governor if Kathleen Blanco doesn't. The Fax Weekly spoke to three individuals who say Breaux directly told them of his renewed interest during Washington Mardi Gras. "This is the most interested I've seen him than all the other BS we've been through," said a friend of the 61-year-old ex-senator turned high-powered Washington lobbyist.
This report has been confirmed by the Cook Political Report, according to an e-mail I recieved today. Jonathan Singer got the same memo I did (http://www.mydd.com/bb#3240).
So, why is this good news? The first part is that Breaux would not be making noises about running if A)Blanco/Campbell could win; and B)Blanco wants out; as well as C) Breaux truly wants back in. At 63, Breaux is young enough to make a political comeback, and would likely have the "fire in the belly" to run a strong campaign.
Breaux, as I mentioned was a popular US Senator; he still has high name recognition and has incredibly good relations with both state and national Democrats. Perhaps more importantly, he had strong ties to local Republican officials as well, due to his prime position in Washington as "bacon-deliverer in chief" for Louisiana. If anyone can beat Bobby Jindal and keep Louisiana's Governorship in Democratic hands, it's John Breaux.
As the article mentions, Breaux will soon be conducting a poll to sound out his chances. You can help him make the right choice by e-mailing him at jbreaux@pattonboggs.com (from his website, http://www.pattonboggs.com/... and encouraging him to go for it.
We need to keep Louisiana in Democratic hands, so that when 2009 comes around (and we have a Democratic President again) the city of New Orleans and its suburbs receive the justice they so desperately need.