Bayou State Cooks up Hot Senate Race: Pundits Place Democrats Ahead by a Hair for Breaux's Seat

Monroe, LA, News-Star ^ | 05-02-04 | Gannett News Service

[Theodore R.]

WASHINGTON - Despite trailing in the polls, Democratic candidates in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana are narrowly favored to win over the only Republican running, political analysts said last week.

But that hairline Democratic edge, as one put it, could change in a puff of Louisiana's erratic political wind.

[Kuksool]

Bayou Senate Ping!

[Dog Gone]

The state is going to vote for Bush. Why is it so hard to pull the lever for Vitter at the same time?

[KellyAdmirer]

Sounds like a carbon copy of Landrieu's last race.

[Theodore R.]

Voters in LA are often "presidential Republicans" and "state Democrats." They think their state party is "conservative," and that's good enough for them.

[Dog Gone]

state voters have a "very real resistance to electing people to major statewide offices from the New Orleans metropolitan area," Vitter's home base.

Then how did the daughter of the former mayor of New Orleans, Mary Landrieu, get elected to the US Senate twice?

[plain talk]

too bad Roemer won't run.

[Theodore R.]

Also the lt. governor and atty. gen. now come from the New Orleans metro area. No governor has come from New Orleans in generations.

[Theodore R.]

You wouldn't want Roemer in that race: he is far less electable than Vitter, who has maybe a 40 percent chance of winning.

[Kuksool]

Urban areas and their suburban rings are getting bigger, while the small towns are shrinking. It is happening all over the nation. It used to be political wisdom that no one from Chicago could win statewide (Rod Blago)or MO would never elect a St Louis candidate (Jim Talent) or Keystone voters would never call a Philly Mayor (Ed Rendell) Governor. In 2002, such political wisdom was shattered.

[Dog Gone]

Interesting analysis. I lived in Lafayette for about three years, and I never could figure out Louisiana politics during my stay.

[Kuksool]

Murphy Foster won all 3 of the 4 sections you listed in his Governor runs in 1995 and 1999. However, he was running against black liberals in those runs.

Any update on whose running for Billy Tauzin's seat since Hunt Downer declined to run? Chris John could provide coattails for the RAT House candidate in the La-03.

[Impy]

Third times a charm.

We don't have the problems of the 02 race (incumbant, party divivsion) and Jindal lost the Governor's race due to rascist hicks.

Vitter will win. Since he's the only Republican I don't see any reason why he can't win sans runnoff.

Chris John is a flake who's only thing is "I'M JUST LIKE GOD UH I MEAN BREAUX BREAUX WOOHOO BREAUX IS GOD!"

Hopefully if there is a runnoff Morrel will be the rat. Then it'll be in the bag.

It's time for these "conservative" rats to get bitchslapped. Anyone who supports Dashole for Majority Leader and Kennedy and Leahy for the Chairmanships of important commitees is a communist scumbag and it's about time for idiots who still vote rat cause that's how their grandpappy voted to wake the (expletive) up.