According to
The Hill, formerly endangered freshman Democratic Congressman Rodney Alexander has dodged a bullet in his quest to retain his GOP-leaning seat, as his main rival is expected to pull out of the running. Alexander won the seat last year in a runoff over Lee Fletcher (who will not run again) by a few hundred votes, making him one of the GOP's main targets this cycle.
Alexander was expected to face a very serious challenge from former Rep. John Cooksey, who vacated Alexander's seat in Northeast Louisiana in order to run against Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in 2002. Cooksey did not place well enough in the open primary to make the runoff against Landrieu.
However, people close to Cooksey said that he was enjoying life at his private business, which is apparently a Botox clinic, and would announce soon that he is not running for the seat. The GOP has a very short bench in this district after Cooksey.
Alexander is one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress, and broke ranks with the Dems on several issues. He was even approached by the GOP earlier this year to swtch parties, although he rubuffed those efforts. Even so, he is the best that the Dems can do to hold onto this conservative district, and this development means a lot in the tough fight to win back the House.