November 8, 2003
BIG EASY:
Democrats focus on Louisiana races: Next governor will be unique; Breaux mulls Senate decision (CNN, November 7, 2003)
After a week of election setbacks, Democrats hoping to revive their fortunes in the South are now looking hard at Louisiana, where the year's last governor's race will be decided next week and where veteran U.S. Sen. John Breaux will soon decide whether to seek another term in Washington. [...]If Breaux decides to leave, Democrats will have five open Southern Senate seats to defend in 2004, a tough task in a region that has been trending Republican. Incumbent Democrats in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina have already announced that they won't be back. [...]
A key to the outcome of the [governor's] race could be the black vote, particularly in the city of New Orleans, where a heavy Democratic tide secured Landrieu's margin of victory last year. A strong black vote next Saturday could similarly push Blanco to victory.
However, Jindal has also been making a major play for the black vote, and this week he secured the surprise endorsement of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, a black Democrat who said he was supporting "new leadership" over "old politics." Another black political group in the city, the Black Organization for Leadership Development, or BOLD, also endorsed Jindal over Blanco. [...]
Together, 13 Southern states have 168 electoral votes -- almost two-thirds of the total needed for President Bush to win re-election. Last time around he carried them all, and reapportionment has added five more votes to the Southern tally in 2004.
2/3rds of the way there from Jump Street. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 8, 2003 6:07 AM
The Democrats must be having nightmares.
Posted by: David Cohen at November 8, 2003 8:09 AMI would think a Louisiana loss would be -- if not the last straw for Democrats on Terry McAuliffe -- at least the last straw for all the key players in the party (except for Howard Dean) who have remained resolutely silent in public about Terry's failures in order not to offend the Clintons.
Posted by: John at November 8, 2003 8:47 AMIn Louisiana, as well as other races, it is all about identity politics for the the Democrats. They have got to keep that patch-work coalition together. I read that all 7 or so members of the mayor's New Orleans advisory committee on homosexual issues resigned en mass because the black Democratic Mayor of New Orleans jumped ship and endorsed Jindal. The strange thing is that Jindal (the Republican) has said he supports equal rights for homosexuals.
Posted by: pchuck at November 8, 2003 10:38 AMSpeaking of identity politics, don't you love the timing of the 3-day senate marathon on judicial confirmations? Give white voters in Louisiana a chance to see Northern left-wing Democrats engaging in despicable hatchet jobs on fellow white Southerners like Pickering and Owen. And last week, they had a vote on Pickering just in time for the Mississippi election.
I think the Senate Republicans are finally starting to fight smart on the judicial confirmations issue. 60-40, here we come.
Posted by: James Haney at November 8, 2003 1:29 PMJames, let's not forget that black voters in Louisiana are also going to be treated to the edifying sight of the aforementioned Northern left-wing Democrats doing their hatchet bit on a black female California Supreme Court Justice.
Posted by: Joe at November 8, 2003 6:33 PM