Louisiana’s choice

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By Jon Specht, Racheal Lundy, Kayla Falgoust, and Kathleen Davis

Election Day, November 4, is now just days away, and Louisiana voters will be critical in helping to determine the direction the nation takes for the next four years. While the presidential race will be at the top of the ticket and at the top of just about everyone’s minds on Election Day, there are many other important races to keep in mind as well.

Voters in the Baton Rouge area will be have their voices heard in two important and competitive elections for the United States Congress. Incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu and Republican challenger John Kennedy are facing off for the right to represent the state of Louisiana in the United States Senate, and Incumbent Democrat Don Cazayoux is facing challenges from Bill Cassidy, a Republican, and Michael Jackson, an Independent, for the right to represent Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District in the US House of Representatives.

In response to requests for comment for this article, the campaigns of Senator Mary Landrieu and congressional candidate Michael Jackson responded in detail to Tiger Weekly’s questions, while the other candidates did not. Those candidates’ views on the issues have been found, where possible, on their Web sites.

Louisiana’s Senate race will be one of the most hotly contested in the nation. While almost no outsider observer believes the Republicans have a chance to regain control of the Senate, at stake in Louisiana is whether or not the Democrats can reach the 60 votes necessary to block Republican filibusters. Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, is running for her third term in the Senate. While Landrieu is generally considered to be a moderate Democrat, Louisiana has defied the recent national trend towards the Democrats and is growing more Republican. If Republican nominee John Kennedy wins the seat, Louisiana’s reputation as a haven for the GOP will be solidified. Following are the biographies of the candidates.

John Kennedy

Louisiana State Treasurer John N. Kennedy was born in Centreville, Mississippi in 1951, and grew up in Zachary, Louisiana. Kennedy graduated from Vanderbilt University, the University of Virginia Law School, and Oxford University, and has worked as an attorney when not serving in government. Kennedy served as cabinet secretary to Governor Buddy Roemer and Secretary of the Department of Revenue under Governor Mike Foster. Kennedy was elected State Treasurer in 1999 and re-elected, unopposed, in 2003 and 2007. Kennedy ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2004 as a Democrat, but switched parties in 2007. While Kennedy’s party switch is notable, it is by no means unusual for Louisiana. In addition to being State Treasurer, Kennedy is an adjunct professor at the Louisiana State University Law School and a substitute teacher for the East Baton Rouge Parish school district. Kennedy lives in Madisonville, Louisiana, with his wife Rebecca and son Preston.

Mary Landrieu

As the daughter of former New Orleans mayor Moon Landrieu, United States Senator Mary Landrieu has been exposed to Louisiana politics all her life. At 23, Landrieu was elected to the Louisiana state legislature in 1979 and was re-elected in 1983. Four years later, Landrieu furthered her political career, serving as Louisiana’s state treasurer, winning re-election in 1991. Ambitiously, Landrieu ran for governor of Louisiana in 1995, but despite her best efforts, Landrieu was unsuccessful in this race. Following this, she continued her profession in Louisiana politics and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 where she served two terms and now leads as Louisiana’s senior senator. During this time, Senator Landrieu coauthored the landmark Domenici-Landrieu Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which was signed into law in 2006. This bill is responsible for expanding oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, and in return, uses some of these revenues towards the restoration and protection of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. Politically, Landrieu is described as being “at the center of the Senate,” according to The National Journal, which finds exactly 48 senators who were more liberal than she and 48 senators who were more conservative than she. Senator Landrieu currently serves on the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Small Business, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. She is the wife of attorney Frank Snellings and has two children.

Baton Rouge area voters will also be voting in a competitive race for US House of Representatives as part of Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District, which includes all or part of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. Helena, Livingston, Ascension, and Iberville Parishes. The Sixth District was represented by Republican Richard Baker from 1987 until February 2 of this year, when Baker resigned his seat. On May 3, 2008, Democrat Don Cazayoux of New Roads won a special election to fill out the remainder of Baker’s term in Congress.

Don Cazayoux

Democrat Don Cazayoux was born in 1964 in New Roads, Louisiana. Cazayoux graduated from Louisiana State University and the Georgetown University Law School. Cazayoux practiced law and was a prosecutor in Pointe Coupee Parish. Notably, Cazayoux never lost a trial by jury. Cazayoux served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2000-2008, when he won the May special election to Congress. Cazayoux lives in New Roads and has a wife, Cherie, and three children, Michael, Chavanne, and Katie. Cazayoux serves on the House Financial Services and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. He is relatively conservative for a Congressional Democrat, as is evidenced by his A rating from the National Rifle Association and 100% rating from the anti-abortion Family Research Council.

Bill Cassidy

Bill Cassidy, Cazayoux’s Republican opponent, was born in 1957 in Highland Park, Illinois, and now lives in Baton Rouge. He attended Louisiana State University and the LSU Medical School. While in medical school he met his wife, Laura, with whom he now has three children, Will, Meg, and Kate. Dr. Cassidy, a physician, is a member of the Gastroenterology Society and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He has been in the Louisiana State Senate since 2006 and was reelected in 2007. Cassidy serves on the Capital Outlay, Education, Environmental Quality, Health and Welfare, and Retirement committees in the State Senate. Cassidy has a 100% rating from the conservative Louisiana Family forum for his policies.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was born in 1965 in Baton Rouge and graduated from Southern University and the Southern University Law School. Jackson has worked as an attorney, and also served in the National Guard in the 1980s. Jackson has represented the 61st Legislative District in the Louisiana House of Representatives, which is in Baton Rouge, since 1999. Jackson serves in the legislature’s Commerce and Health and Welfare Committees. While Jackson is running for Congress as an Independent, he is a member of the state legislature’s Democratic Caucus and says he will caucus with the Democrats if elected to Congress.

The candidates on the issues:

Mary Landrieu on the economy:

“I voted against the recent $700 billion Wall Street bailout because I felt that it did not offer enough protections for taxpayers while giving too much benefit to those whose greed and abuse got us into this mess in the first place. I also believe that we must increase oversight to prevent a crisis like this from occurring in the future. In the long run, I believe that we must strengthen our economy by lowering the cost of gas, make health care and a college education more affordable and provide tax relief to middle-class families.”

John Kennedy on immigration:

“First, he will secure our borders. Congress has committed to building a physical and technological fence along the southern border, but it remains unfinished. John will follow through on this commitment. Second, John will reject any proposal that gives amnesty to illegal immigrants. A special pathway to citizenship or permanent residence for illegal immigrants is wrong and unfair to those playing by the rules and waiting their turn to enter our country legally. Third, he believes we must streamline our process to respect our nation’s great tradition of legal immigration. Welcoming new, hard-working legal immigrants in pursuit of the American dream adds vitality, culture, and innovation to our country.”

(Source: campaign Web site)

Bill Cassidy on union “card checks”:

“I will defend the rights of every worker. I will oppose efforts by Barack Obama, congressional Democrats, and labor unions to put their agenda above Louisiana workers who currently enjoy the right to work without interference. I believe one of the basic tenets of democratic elections is the secret ballot. The reason this is necessary for political elections is the same reason it is needed for decisions on union organizing – it reduces the ability of leaders on one side, or the other, to intimidate voters. I will not allow the elimination of the secret ballot and other infringements on the rights of individuals who want to work.”

(Source: campaign Web site)

Don Cazayoux on health care:

“Don thinks we need commonsense solutions to this crisis and will take the lead creating and investing in solutions that would increase access to affordable, quality health care. Don thinks that every American should be able to access the same health insurance that Members of Congress use. Don will support expanding the State Children’s Heath Insurance Program so that 80,000 more kids in Louisiana have heath care coverage. Don knows that for small businesses, offering health insurance can be too expensive. That’s why he co-sponsored the Small Business Health Insurance Options Program Act, or SHOP Act. The SHOP Act The bill will also lower the cost of insurance by allowing small businesses to pool their resources, which will lower their administrative costs.”

(Source: campaign Web site)

Michael Jackson on the war in Iraq:

“I am the only candidate in this race to clearly state that we should end the war in Iraq. My position on how we end it is in line with the position outlined by the Iraq Study Commission. In the fall of 2006 the Commission called for the withdrawal of military troops except for essential protective forces within an eighteen-month time frame. In addition to withdrawal of troops, the commission recommended that the United States engage in a new round of diplomatic negotiation in the Middle East and that those negotiations should include Iran and Syria.”

Originally Published: Issue 710 - October 29, 2008

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