With former Gov. Edwin Edwards more than likely serving as the Democrats’ best hope of seizing the 6th Congressional District, attention is turning to whether the state party will get behind the candidate, who was in federal prison just a few years ago.
“If he asks for a vote of the (Democratic State Central Committee) then we’ll see,” said a DSCC source, in reference to a possible endorsement.
Since he announced for the race, the party seems to have kept Edwards at arm’s length. But party officials say that isn’t so, pointing to the fact that Edwards hasn’t yet qualified and the field isn’t settled.
If he makes the runoff, as recent polling predicts, that would present a different situation, they say.
“I would like the endorsement, but we need to be fair to the other Democrat in the race,” Edwards told LaPolitics, referring to Richard Lieberman of LaPlace, who has also announced. “If the party gave me some kind of sign, I might ask for it. I do not want to be presumptuous.”
Kirstin Alvanitakis, the party’s communications director, said, “Our executive committee approved a procedure to allow our state central committee to endorse federal candidates via mail-in ballot on our last conference call, so we will likely be endorsing in competitive federal races this fall.”
For now, Edwards will have to settle for an enviable wave of national media attention. Over the past few weeks, Edwards’ bid has been covered in rather lengthy profiles by New York Magazine, National Journal and The Weekly Standard. He’s also set to be featured in a segment produced by CNN’s chief political analyst Gloria Borger.
Union Memberships Dip
Declines in membership are posing serious challenges for some teachers’ unions. Even those experiencing growth spurts are uncertain what the future political environment will look like in a state that’s trending both conservative and pro-business.
Total membership in the Louisiana Assoc. of Educators, based on state statistics released by the national association, dropped to 12,334 in 2012-13, a 19 percent decrease since 2008-09, and a drop of 10 percent since 2011-12.
Ashley Davies, LAE’s communications specialist, told LaPolitics the losses are due to the economy, retirements and decreased investments in education by the state.
She said the numbers “are not a true representation of the overall LAE membership,” adding, “We are pleased to report that we have met and exceeded our membership goals for the 2014 calendar year.”
Asked by email if the membership figures were inaccurate, Davies did not respond.
Steve Monaghan, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, said his group lost roughly 5,000 members after Hurricane Katrina, but has since bounced back to nearly 21,000 members, up from 17,000 in 2008-09.
It may be too elementary to assume that LFT has picked off members from LAE in recent years, he said. “We’re not consciously going after LAE members. This is a right-to-work state, and some people may just be choosing not to join anywhere. Some may also be going the non-union route, with (the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana).”
A spike in retirements may be another explanation for drops in membership, he said, as well as the increase in charter schools. But overall, Louisiana’s unions for teachers are coming off of a rocky few years, and the future may offer more challenges. Lawmakers continue to bring bills to eliminate payroll deductions for union members. During this year’s session, such a bill failed in committee by a tie vote.
With anti-union voices, like U.S. Sen. David Vitter, who is running for governor, atop the 2015 ballot, Monaghan contends the fight isn’t over. “Moving toward that election cycle, with the governor’s race and the (state) House and Senate races, we may see this conversation continue to play out over whether we want to be a union-free state or find a middle ground,” he said.
Super PAC Now Topping Cap
Even though the state Ethics Board could still appeal the federal ruling that allows the Fund for Louisiana’s Future to accept unlimited donations above the state’s $100,000 threshold, the super PAC’s architect isn’t waiting around.
“We are currently soliciting donations above the cap,” treasurer Charlie Spies told LaPolitics.
While the super PAC was originally created to help U.S. Sen. David Vitter in his 2015 campaign for governor, it has since branched out and purchased advertising to support state Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon’s work on federal flood insurance. Spies would not say whether the fund would support other officials or issues in the future.
On the horizon, politicos around the country are watching to see just how much Vitter donates from his federal Senate campaign account to the super PAC, which is barred from coordinating with Vitter or any other candidates.
While he can’t directly spend money from his federal account on his state race, Vitter has already given $100,000 to the super PAC. But that donation, which reaches right up to the Louisiana cap, was made in February, before the court’s ruling was handed down.
According to the latest filing with the Federal Election Commission, the super PAC has $1.7 million in the bank and raised $624,000 last quarter. No other donations from Vitter have been noted.
A.G.’s Race Gains Traction
Attorney General Buddy Caldwell addressed the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Assoc. during its conference last month, referring to himself as “family.” In regard to his job, he said he wanted to “keep doing it for quite some time.”
His remarks, lasting slightly more than a minute, were less of an election pitch than what was offered by Marty Maley of Baton Rouge, who worked as an assistant D.A. in the Port Allen-based 18th Judicial District. He’s a candidate in the 2015 election.
“With all due respect to Mr. Caldwell, there is a movement across the state for a new attorney general,” he told the sheriffs.
Former Congressman Jeff Landry of New Iberia, a fellow Republican, probably would have agreed, but he wasn’t there to say so. Nor was he in attendance at a recent gathering of district attorneys.
But sources close to Landry say he’s been on the fundraising circuit for months and is poised to post a significant figure next year for a statewide appeal.
More immediately, Landry is planning for his fourth annual alligator hunt — at $5,000 per tag. As usual, U.S. Sen. David Vitter, who offered encouraging words for Landry when he announced for A.G., is expected to attend. The host committee includes 11 members of Congress, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.
Maginnis Scholarship Established
The widow of legendary Louisiana political writer John Maginnis has endowed a scholarship in his name at the Manship School of Mass Communication at LSU, which Maginnis attended. She and his closest associates have asked Maginnis’ friends to remember him through donations to the scholarship fund.
“John would have been pleased to have the Manship School of Mass Communication serving as one of the stewards of his legacy,” said his widow, Jacqueline Drinkwater Maginnis. “John’s roots ran deep at LSU, from editing The Daily Reveille to being inducted in the Manship Hall of Fame. It brings me great joy to see that his influence will continue through this scholarship and the students who will receive it in the coming years. In many ways, they are following in John’s own footsteps. I’m excited about introducing his work to future generations.”
The scholarship recipient will be chosen based on need and the quality of a 725-word essay about Louisiana politics. In addition to the scholarship itself, the winner will serve an internship during the legislative session for the publications Maginnis founded, LaPolitics Weekly and LaPolitics.com.
Maginnis died in May at the age of 66. He founded and published LaPolitics and wrote a weekly political column published by 21 newspapers in Louisiana. He was the author of three books, The Last Hayride, Cross to Bear and The Politics of Reform.
More information can be found at www.lsufoundation.org.
Parties Share Agenda
While the Democratic and Republican parties in Louisiana have decided to team up to pursue unlimited fundraising possibilities on the federal level, there may also be a shared legislative agenda in the works on the state level for the 2015 session.
The executive directors from both parties say there are at least three issues they already agree on and are willing to sit together at the committee table to discuss.
The first involves the state’s qualifying period, which is usually held in the early fall, around August, and less than three months before the primary.
“Practically everywhere else around the country it’s held in the spring,” said Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party. “Pushing it up will give us more time to prepare and will settle the fields sooner. I also think it could help the secretary of state’s office, since they would have more time to get the ballots ready and prepare for the elections.”
Fundraising could be on the menu as well. With a recent court decision clearing the way for the Fund for Louisiana’s Future, a super PAC, or political action committee, to collect unlimited donations on the state level, the parties would like to see a law passed that gives the same privilege to their own state-regulated independent expenditure accounts.
Lawmakers may also be asked to put the court’s super PAC decision into law.
“That’s something we both agree on,” said Jason Doré, executive director of the Louisiana Republican Party.
In addition, there is mutual interest in exploring the limits on when and where campaign signs can be placed in advance of elections. The issue came up in Lafayette earlier this year when a long-forgotten local ordinance that allows signs on private property only within three months of balloting was discovered. “It’s private property and should be a freedom of speech issue,” said Handwerk.
From The Pen To The Polling Precincts
Many Louisiana voters know Burl Cain as the religious, outspoken warden of Angola. But what about Burl Cain the gubernatorial candidate?
A Facebook page has been established to draft him for the 2015 race. The page notes that Cain oversees a large budget; helped Angola progress through “God-driven” initiatives; and “held the only elected position on the State Civil Service Commission for 22 consecutive years.”
Cain wouldn’t take a stance when contacted by LaPolitics, saying, “I’m shocked and flattered, but I don’t even know who is behind posting that.”
A direct message was sent via Facebook to find out, but no response was provided.
Parents Join Suit Against BESE
More than 190 names, primarily of parents of students in public schools, have been added to the anti-Common Core lawsuit filed against the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Superintendent John White, sources tell LaPolitics.
The additional plaintiffs were added to the suit, originally filed in Baton Rouge’s district court by 17 state legislators, on Friday and Monday morning.
“Parents started calling (last week) and I think it’s going to keep growing. They want to join the suit,” said a source involved with the anti-Common Core legal action, adding the parents are from all over the state.
Whether more names will be added is not known. But interested parents are continuing to reach out to lawmakers. “We are still getting bombed with names this morning to join,” said a source.
The lawmakers, mostly Republicans from the fiscal hawks group, along with two Democrats and two independents, are paying for the lawsuit out of their own pockets, sources tell LaPolitics. They argue the Administrative Procedures Act was not followed by the board in implementing Common Core, maintaining that the standards were not properly advertised and publicly discussed.
White and BESE president Chas Roemer contend the board was never required to follow such guidelines and that the lawsuit has no merit.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.
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