Gov. John Bel Edwards’ re-election campaign has raised $3.6 million since he was elected governor in 2015, according to a new report filed with the state Board of Ethics.
Overall, the governor’s campaign raised $3.2 million in calendar year 2016, and it closed the year with $3.2 million in the bank.
The governor has repeatedly said he intends to run for re-election in 2019 and he appears to have a very aggressive approach to fundraising.
There were 1,636 contributors to the governor’s campaign last year.
By comparison, former Gov. Kathleen Blanco raised $1.8 million in her first year in office, including $1.6 million from Louisiana. Former Gov. Bobby Jindal raised nearly $2.5 million in his first year.
Rainwater For FEMA?
Paul Rainwater, a lobbyist with Cornerstone Government Affairs, has confirmed that he’s under consideration for the top job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Rainwater, who ran the Louisiana Recovery Authority following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, is no stranger to a crisis. He served in similar leadership roles under former Govs. Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal.
He is said to have been in touch with the administration of President Donald Trump.
Candidate Launches Whistleblower site
As lawmakers prepare for a regular legislative session in which the budget will take center stage, Rep. John Schroder’s campaign for treasurer has quietly launched a new website — StopLouisianaWaste.com — that allows anyone to “anonymously report state waste.”
“We talk about state government waste, but we don’t really know how bad it is or how deep it goes,” said Schroder, R-Covington. “I intend to find out.”
Moving Toward A Civil Tone
A bipartisan group of 46 freshman members of the 115th U.S. Congress are backing a “Commitment to Civility” document that was drafted by Congressman Mike Johnson. A Republican from Shreveport who was elected last fall, Johnson said the issue will eventually be debated on the floor.
The exercise is meant to “restore collegiality, trust and civility to the Congress, encourage productive dialogue, and work to build consensus and the public’s trust in America’s institutions.”
Political History: The House That Huey Built
May 16 will mark the 85th anniversary of the dedication of the state Capitol building in Baton Rouge.
The Capitol is 450 feet tall and has 34 stories, including a couple that aren’t open to the public.
According to documents maintained by the National Register of Historic Places, one of those private spaces can be found on the 24th floor, where Gov. Huey Long kept an apartment.
While it was a lofty perch from which to view his political empire, Long insisted that bouts with hay fever were alleviated by being at that height, away from south Louisiana’s pollen and dust.
The building, a National Historic Landmark, is the tallest capitol building in the nation, and is lovingly known — by some — as the “house that Huey built.” The Kingfish used money that his office controlled to get construction started.
The building’s construction, which cost $5 million, was overseen by architect Leon C. Weiss. It took only a year and a half for the building to be designed, constructed and ornamented.
It’s not completely a hometown production. The Louisiana Capitol was modeled after the Nebraska State Capitol and its exterior is made of Alabama limestone.
When asked by his staff what should be done with the Old State Capitol, Long remarked, “Turn it over to some collector of antiques.”
While Long’s legacy and Louisiana’s Capitol will forever be linked, the infamous governor missed the dedication of the building because he was in Washington, D.C., when it took place.
Cooper To Bring People Together
In a recent interview, Mark Cooper said his most important task as Gov. John Bel Edwards’ incoming chief of staff will be to unite people.
That theme applies politically to the volatile landscape of the Louisiana Legislature, and more practically, to a state still reeling from police shootings and recent natural disasters.
“That’s the top priority,” Cooper said from his office in Arkansas, where he works as the senior director of global emergency management at Walmart.
Cooper will become Edwards’ new chief of staff during the third week of March. But he’s already studying the state budget and has had a set of meetings in Baton Rouge.
For now, it’s all about policy and politics; he doesn’t have any plans for staffing changes. “That’s not my intent,” Cooper said.
Cooper first connected with Edwards last year when both gave speeches to the National Governors Association. But he added that he officially interviewed for the post while it was being vacated by former state Sen. Ben Nevers more than a month ago.
He said he was well past the point of being homesick at the time, and the opportunity to get involved again in “crisis leadership” appealed to him. “I want to be a part of that rebuilding process from last year’s floods. I felt the same way after Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana is in my blood. I just want to help with some of these very real problems.”
Cooper was the director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness under former Gov. Bobby Jindal.
That Edwards campaigned against Jindal, and has blamed him for many of the state’s budget challenges, hasn’t been missed by politicos.
Yet Cooper said his approach to public service has never been based on party — he also previously worked for the late U.S. Sen. Russell Long and former Gov. Buddy Roemer. “Most people don’t care what party you’re in,” he said. “They just want you to solve problems.”
The governor’s chief of staff is traditionally one of the most powerful positions in state government.
Super PAC To Support Kennedy’s Politics
A new super PAC is being created to help U.S. Sen. John Kennedy in Washington and at home. It’s called the Conservative Louisiana PAC, and Kyle Ruckert, the political architect for former U.S. Sen. David Vitter, will serve as its director.
Washington attorney Charlie Spies, who’s been involved in landmark cases in Louisiana involving what are loosely known as “super PACs,” has signed on as the treasurer.
Super PACs, thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court decision, are allowed to raise unlimited amounts of money, and are not beholden to the same contribution caps that are applied to political parties and candidate committees.
It’s unknown exactly what the new pro-Kennedy organization will do. But it will likely involve itself in races that Kennedy cares about. And it may advocate policy issues the senator is pushing.
State Senator Rejuvenates Podcast
Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, is back in the studio with his podcast recording again.
The first episode of 2017 features crime analyst Jeff Asher.
New episodes available in the coming weeks will feature Rep. Helena Moreno, D-New Orleans, on women’s issues and the Ignite Advocacy Network; the Louisiana Budget Projects’ Jan Moller on the state’s huge budget woes; and Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, on what it’s like to grow up in politics as the child of an elected official.
Get episodes at JPMorrell.com, iTunes and Google Play. You can ask questions for the show on Twitter using the hashtag #AskJP.
Clark Steps Up At LSMS
Dr. Beau Clark, the East Baton Rouge Parish coroner, has been installed as the new president of the Louisiana State Medical Society — a move that will at the very least bump up his profile inside the Capitol.
Two years ago, a group of influential donors attempted to convince Clark to run for mayor in Baton Rouge. At the time, Clark said he had established a set of goals for the coroner’s office and hadn’t accomplished them.
“I do not want to say no forever,” he added.
That caused many Red Stick politicos to simply keep tabs on Clark’s developing political career, which has been aided in recent years by his participation in the legislative process on such issues as heroin overdoses.
Clark, as the former first vice president, was next in line for the presidency at LSMS.
Political Group Targets Edwards
America Rising Squared and America Rising PAC have been asking reporters to push alternative takes on stories involving Gov. John Bel Edwards. Budget stories and the administration’s approach to revenue have been the focus so far.
The conservative group, which usually plays in national politics, is no stranger to Louisiana’s federal races. But its interest in a statewide post is something new.
Jeremy Adler, a spokesperson for America Rising Squared, said his organization “likes to keep tabs on all Democrats running for or in office and seek to highlight their vulnerabilities.”
But he added that Edwards is near the top of their list in terms of governors around the country. “Obviously, John Bel Edwards is going to be a ripe target through 2019, so we definitely plan to keep tabs on him for now and make sure that people in Louisiana and across the country see that he’s taking the state in the wrong direction,” said Adler.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.
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