George Soros has contributed more than $250,000 in a local Louisiana election, raising the stakes in an already high-stakes district attorney race. Soros, a billionaire, donated the money through a Super PAC. The
Times-Picayune reports:
The Super PAC, Louisiana Safety & Justice PAC, has produced an ad benefiting James E. Stewart, a Democratic candidate and former judge in a six-way race for district attorney in Caddo Parish in north Louisiana. Soros has historically supported Democratic candidates and liberal causes.
The amount Soros donated to the Super PAC dwarfs the nearly $119,000 Stewart raised during the last campaign finance reporting period. It represents a huge amount of money poured into a race that has no statewide impact.
Caddo Parish's district attorney office has been the subject of increased scrutiny over the past months, after both a
New Yorker article and
60 Minutes segment "called attention to the high number of death penalty cases there and how capital punishment has been applied to minorities." The
60 Minutes piece, which aired on Sunday, focused on a black man in Caddo Parrish named Glenn Ford who was exonerated after 30 years on death row because police and prosecutors failed to present key evidence. The current acting district attorney, Dale Cox, stated that he believed "the system did not fail Mr. Ford."
The election for district attorney is in just 11 days. The Super PAC has produced a video advertisement highlighting Stewart's efforts to keep kids in school, tap into students' potential, and prosecute domestic violence. The ad is titled "Tough Justice. Done Right."
More to follow on this story, including a deeper analysis look at the candidate and the ad. Discuss below.