Our Views: Filing yields GOP victories
Before the first ballot is cast, Louisiana Republicans have won most of the fall congressional elections, pretty handsomely.
That’s because of the general lack of effective challengers for the members of the U.S. House delegation, only one of whom is a Democrat — U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans.
He is a favorite for re-election on Nov. 6, as are four other GOP colleagues in the delegation. The major contested race is between two incumbent Republicans, U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany of Lafayette and Jeff Landry of New Iberia. They are thrown together in a redrawn 3rd District because Louisiana lost one of its seats in the House, a function of minimal population growth compared to other states.
The state Democratic Party has a candidate in the 3rd District primary, attorney Ron Richard of Lake Charles. But the duel of the GOP incumbents seems likely to be the main battle.
There are, though, other races in the state, including a mayor’s race in Baton Rouge and a number of judgeships across the state. Two significant statewide posts in the Baton Rouge area, the seat of the retiring Jimmy Field on the Public Service Commission and the seat on the state Supreme Court of retiring Chief Justice Kitty Kimball.
Republican officeholders appear to be the leading candidates for the PSC seat, although the Democrats have a viable candidate for Supreme Court.
All in all, it’s not quite the comeback year for the struggling Democrats in the state.