| Don Cazayoux's announcement that he will run for Rep. Baker's 6th CD seat is making the rounds up on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C. The link directs y'all to one of the two newspapers serving Congress - The Hill.
The article discusses the impact of population shifts into Baton Rouge as a result of Hurricane Katrina, with one report claiming that some 30,000 folks having moved into the greater Baton Rouge area, but a Greg Rigamer, the head of a voter database consulting firm - GCR & Associates - who counts among his clients Governor PBJ, and Sinator Vitter, claims that any impact will be negligible because most of those folks have moved back to New Orleans.
I think that there will be a major impact by these folks as they start paying attention to the Presidential race, and voter registration drives start getting underway to register them. My guess is that there will be more new Democrats, based on the knowledge that most of New Orleans was Democratic.
The article does point out that two Democrats often rumored to be eyeing the seat - Mayor-President Kip Holden of Baton Rouge, and Marjorie McKeithen, who ran the most successful campaign against Baker in recent memory, falling short by 2 points, 51-49 - are not going to be candidates.
The Advocate mentions State Rep. Michael Jackson of Baton Rouge and failed politico wanna-be Jason DeCuir, who spectacularly failed to win a State Senate seat here in Baton Rouge this past fall, as potential contenders for the seat.
But no one is talking about a potential bid by Shaw Group CEO Jim Bernhard. I heard talk among Democratic insiders this past summer of Bernhard putting polls into the field regarding the Governor's race. He ultimately decided not to make a run, but he might see this seat as an opportunity for him to become well-known enough to make a statewide bid a possibility down the road. |
