The disaster that is Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco will come to an end soon, as Blanco won't run for a second term given how the Democratic governor so badly botched state government's handing of Hurricane Katrina, pre- and post-storm. Polls showed Blanco losing by about 300 percentage points, so it's a wise and completely expected move on her part.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal is leads all potential Democrats by double digits. The Democrats are hoping former Sen. John Breaux will leave the Senate and run for governor, but he doesn't meet Louisiana's residency requirements. He lives in the D.C. area, where he works as a lobbyist - but Louisiana Democrats likely will find a sympathetic judge to rule that he is a resident even though he isn't.
The New York Times surveys the field...
Blanco was one of several officials who bore the brunt of criticism after the sluggish recovery response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. A SurveyUSA poll last November pegged Blanco’s approval rating at 39 percent and her disapproval rating at 58 percent.
Blanco’s decision paves the way for a candidacy by former Democratic Sen. John Breaux or another prominent Louisiana Democrat. Breaux in recent weeks has expressed interest in running for governor but said he would not run against Blanco.
A Jindal-Breaux race, should it occur, would produce an interesting matchup between two gifted Louisiana politicians.
Jindal, 35, was elected to the House in 2004 and previously served as secretary of the Louisiana department of Health and Hospitals and as an assistant secretary in the federal Department of Health and Human Services. After losing the 2003 governor’s race to Blanco, Jindal pivoted to a House race in the 1st District, which Republican Rep. David Vitter was leaving open to pursue a Senate race that was successful. Jindal was overwhelmingly elected, and he easily won a second term in 2006 - a prelude to a second campaign for governor that was widely expected.
Louisiana does its race a bit differently - all candidates run in the October "primary," and if nobody gets over 50 percent, the top two finishers face off in a second election a month later.
I doubt even Breaux can help the Dems retain the governor's mansion. Breaux is popular but, outside of New Orleans, nobody thinks Louisiana's Democratic power structure was particularly effective after Katrina. This race is Jindal's to lose.
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