Posted on 12/05/2002 5:13:52 AM PST by Theodore R.
Campaign brings up hot-button issues Abortion, gay rights, sugar imports among matters discussed John Hill / Louisiana Gannett News Posted on December 5, 2002
BATON ROUGE - As tension rises in the final hours before Saturday's voting, the U.S. Senate campaigns are bringing up hot-button issues of abortion, gay rights and sugar imports.
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, is being attacked for allegedly altering her pro-choice stance. Republican challenger Suzanne Haik Terrell is being attacked for allegedly changing her position on such gay issues as domestic partner benefits.
U.S. Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana is among the rising chorus of Democrats trying to win South Louisiana voters over by charging President George W. Bush with attempting to double sugar imports and harm Louisiana farmers.
The tension is mounting because polls continue to show the race is so close that the campaigns are fighting over every single vote. "Anything can happen," said Ed Renwick, president of the Loyola Institute of Politics.
The Acadiana vote, primarily conservative French Catholic, is a conservative area that is leaning toward Terrell. That's the area where abortion and the sugar issues are playing out.
"Sugar is big over Acadiana," said Southern University political scientist Frank Ransburg. "That's why Landrieu has been using U.S. Sen. John Breaux to the extent that she has."
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C., sent copies of a translation of the Mexico City newspaper Reforma that cites unnamed Mexican sources as saying U.S. trade negotiators have agreed to doubling sugar imports from 148,000 tons this year to 300,000 tons next year.
Democratic State Party Director Scott Arceneaux said Terrell "basks in the glow of an administration that apparently has plans already to hurt our farmers."
Breaux and Landrieu campaigned as a team opposing increased sugar imports.
The abortion issue, which has been relatively dormant, is being raised by the National Right to Life Committee and the organization Catholic Team Leaders, which met in Baton Rouge on Wednesday.
The issue here is that the anti-abortion group said Landrieu has attempted to modify her pro-choice position - which Landrieu denies. Meantime, the pro-choice movement said Terrell was pro-choice before the campaign. "She was definitely pro-choice," New Orleans lawyer Donna Klein said.
"I have never left my faith," Terrell said, denying she ever has been pro-choice.
Both campaigns have courted gay votes and held fund-raisers for gays, Terrell through the Log Cabin Republicans 10 days ago and Landrieu this past week through the Human Rights Campaign and the Louisiana Lesbian and Gay Political Action Caucus.
LAGPAC Director Chris Daigle accused Terrell of abandoning her earlier support for hate-crime legislation and domestic partner benefits, two issues she voted for as a member of the New Orleans City Council.
"So which is it, Ms. Terrell? Do you stand on your record of being a moderate pro-choice, pro-gay candidate? Or have you taken the route of political expediency by embracing far-right religious fundamentalists who oppose equality?"
Terrell said she opposes federal hate-crime legislation but voted to ask the Louisiana Legislature to enact a state hate-crimes bill because of "an urgent need to make a strong statement and stop a rash of church burnings and other specific crimes."
This is the first that I have heard of the Log Cabin "Club" getting involved in LA.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.