{"id":2673,"date":"2015-03-05T10:42:50","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T16:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=2673"},"modified":"2015-03-05T10:57:40","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T16:57:40","slug":"governors-field-waiting-landrieu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2015\/03\/05\/governors-field-waiting-landrieu\/","title":{"rendered":"GOVERNOR’S FIELD WAITING ON LANDRIEU"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some say he will. Others call it downright unfathomable. Most simply have no idea what he\u2019ll do.\u00a0<\/strong>So until New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu gives a definitive answer on the question of whether he\u2019ll run for governor, pollsters will continue tossing in his name and donors will second guess their investments. So until New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu gives a definitive answer on the question of whether he\u2019ll run for governor, pollsters will continue tossing in his name and donors will second guess their investments. To that end, sources very close to the mayor insist he has not ruled out the possibility of joining the field. But they also say he will soon report having only $30,000 to $40,000 in the bank. While Landrieu is certainly in a position to raise piles of cash fast should he decide to run, that $40,000 is not the kind of number a serious candidate would want to start with.Then again, it\u2019s not exactly due to weak fundraising. Landrieu drained the coffers last year for his re-election campaign. He immediately went to war helping his sister in a heated Senate campaign while at the same time dealing with quite a long list of controversial issues in the city.\u00a0Democratic operatives suggest Landrieu may be more interested, and better positioned, to become a major influencer in the presidential race. It has become a trend of late to pull from the ranks of big city mayors for top tier D.C. gigs, and Landrieu would once again be following in the footsteps of his mayor-father, who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Landrieu has close ties to the Clinton family. But he could be a strong voice for whatever pol snags the nomination. Rumors have long percolated about possible positions in the Obama Administration, although nothing concrete has surfaced to substantiate the talk.The indecision on running for governor certainly keeps Landrieu relevant \u2014 not that a New Orleans mayor needs inventive ways to stay afloat in political waters. The poll numbers must be entertaining, if nothing else, for the mayor, with him guaranteed to make the runoff against the current slate of candidates.\u00a0Hurt most in those surveys by a Landrieu candidacy is state Rep. John Bel Edwards of Amite, the long-declared candidate who\u2019s been working the base for more than a year. He has a billboard prominently displayed by the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Edwards swept aside the rumors in a recent interview, and predicted Landrieu will stay where he is. \u201cLast fall he told a group in Hammond, and I was there, that he would not run,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cHe told the people of New Orleans last year that he would not run. I know Mitch to be an honorable person, and he\u2019ll live up to his word.\u201d\u00a0One donor said he recently pushed Landrieu on the question, but was unable to get a read one way or the other. A government official in New Orleans said Landrieu has implied he isn\u2019t inclined to run. But a poll showing a clear and definite path to victory could convince him otherwise.\u00a0Meanwhile, concerns about the mayor\u2019s standing with unions, firefighters and teachers are overhyped, supporters say, and he would be able to pull together a support system quickly if he indeed decided to become the surprise candidate of 2015.\u00a0Yet with each passing day, it appears more and more unlikely, with or without mixed signals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Anti-Tax Groups Target Session<\/strong>
\nNational anti-tax organizations such as the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and Americans for Prosperity are planning to have a noticeable presence at the Capitol during the session, and again when lawmakers face re-election this fall.
\nRepresentatives from both groups said they\u2019re ready to mobilize national and grassroots resources \u2014 and possibly target media buys from ATR \u2014 should lawmakers attempt to increase taxes.
\nIt\u2019s an early sign that Gov. Bobby Jindal will not be alone in his opposition stance, which includes eliminating tax exemptions in ways that aren\u2019t revenue neutral.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to actively oppose any proposal that creates a net tax increase,\u201d said Patrick M. Gleason, director of state affairs for ATR. \u201cThere will be outreach to lawmakers, and we also plan to educate their constituencies on how they voted.\u201d
\nGleason, who was in Louisiana late last month for meetings, said lawmakers who have signed ATR\u2019s well-known anti-tax pledge will be reminded of their promise.
\nAFP\u2019s Louisiana director Phillip Joffrion said, \u201cWe are not supportive of net tax increases, and we will hold legislators accountable. It is a critically important issue for us.\u201d
\nDepending on how hard these groups turn the screws, they could take some of the heat off of Jindal, since legislators might be more prone to complain publicly about the special interests than the governor.
\nThe Louisiana Assoc. of Business and Industry can be counted on as an anti-tax voice. Sources close to the business community say an overarching narrative is coming together. They suggest that raising taxes is bad policy because it inhibits the ability of businesses to create jobs and make capital investments.
\nAn effort will be made to show economic improvements in the state since 2008, when Jindal took office and halted the flow of tax increases.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jindal: No On Taxes; Maybe On Fees<\/strong>
\nWhile proposals to increase taxes may be dead on arrival when they reach Gov. Bobby Jindal\u2019s desk, the administration tells LaPolitics that it is willing to at least review fee changes this session.
\nBut how lawmakers package them will determine how Jindal comes down on the issue. That is, the governor is neither opening the door for fees, nor is he shutting down related talks.
\n\u201cWe will review any fee increase proposal to determine if they are truly fees to pay for services rendered and not taxes by a different name,\u201d said Jindal spokesperson Shannon Bates Dirmann.
\nThis could be a very small \u2014 maybe tiny \u2014 opening for state departments and agencies that are facing at least 15 percent reductions across the board in the next fiscal year.
\nThe latest multi-year revenue forecast has many thinking long-term. The 2015-16 fiscal year will face a $1.6 billion shortfall, at the very least, with the following three fiscal years seeing budget shortfalls ranging from $1.4-1.8 billion each if there are no changes in the economy and incoming revenue streams.
\nBack To Closed Primaries?
\nThe conversion of Louisiana to a closed primary election system is an issue that\u2019s been on and off the political radar over the last year. But a group of high-ranking Republicans are hoping to keep it on and are quietly touring the state to build support.
\nSources tell LaPolitics that the state\u2019s Republican National Committeeman Ross Little is working with other members of the GOP central committee to gauge support of lawmakers and donors. Meetings are taking place, guided by a supportive resolution from the central committee.
\nWhile there\u2019s a chance the issue could surface in legislation during the spring session, the only consensus among those involved so far is that the conversion shouldn\u2019t happen until after 2016.
\nWhether state and federal races should both be included is still a point of contention, as is what to do with independent voters.
\nThe effort could face opposition from Secretary of State Tom Schedler, who said in an earlier interview, \u201cThere\u2019s a divided sea on that particular issue. I personally like the open primary system. I think it works well for Louisiana.\u201d
\nHe added that the temporary switch back to closed primaries in 2010 was confusing for voters.
\nStill, there\u2019s an undeniable appeal in the old ways for Louisiana Republicans. Reverting to closed primaries would certainly force more white voters to the GOP side. Currently, most have no incentive to change their party registration, even if they\u2019re voting Republican.
\nThere\u2019s definitely a trend to build on, with 225,000 white Democrats defecting over the past 10 years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BESE Election PAC May Return<\/strong>
\nWith eight seats on the fall ballot for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and a pro-reform majority to protect, it looks like the group that helped elect the board in 2011 will be back at it this fall.
\nThe Alliance for Better Classrooms, headed by Baton Rouge businessman Lane Grigsby, is putting the band back together. Playing point on the ground will be Dan Juneau, the former president of the Louisiana Assoc. of Business and Industry.
\nIt\u2019s still unknown whether the group will use its old political action committee, or PAC, but the possibility is definitely on the table.
\n\u201cWe want to protect our gains in education,\u201d Grigsby said. \u201cWe were very involved in the last cycle, which led to the super majority and the appointment of John White as superintendent. We anticipate that this fall, those same elected members will face some good opposition from people with hidden agendas.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pro-Dardenne Super PAC Emerges<\/strong>
\nThe Fund for Louisiana\u2019s Future, a super PAC created to back the gubernatorial campaign of U.S. Sen. David Vitter, is no longer the lone wolf in the Bayou State.
\nAnother super PAC, called \u201cNow or Never-Louisiana PAC,\u201d has been created to support Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne to the tune of no-limit contributions. It was registered on the state level in October, 2014, by individuals affiliated with Axiom Strategies, which has offices in Kansas City and Washington.
\nThe pro-Dardenne super PAC is headed by Axiom\u2019s Travis Smith, a former McCain-Palin staffer and former chief of staff to Congressman Kevin Yoder of Kansas.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a difference between the candidates in this race,\u201d Smith told LaPolitics, \u201cand we plan to actively demonstrate the differences to voters.\u201d
\nThere\u2019s no word yet on when the Now or Never PAC will file its first report, or whether it has any major pledges or donations. But the firm behind the super PAC is an up and comer. Principal partner Jeff Roe was recently hired to work on the political organization of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Roe\u2019s bio claims credit for the election of 31 congressmen and four U.S. senators.
\nIt could be an early indication that Dardenne\u2019s supporters plan to try to compete for national money against Vitter\u2019s team \u2014 the super PACs are prohibited from coordinating with the campaigns.
\nThere have also been rumblings in recent months of a bipartisan, anti-Vitter super PAC, but sources with knowledge of the effort contend the difficulty of attracting national money for this race against a sitting senator has been one of the hurdles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some say he will. Others call it downright unfathomable. Most simply have no idea what he\u2019ll do.\u00a0So until New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu gives a definitive answer on the question of whether he\u2019ll run for governor, pollsters will continue tossing in his name and donors will second guess their investments. So until New Orleans Mayor [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[96,63,717,32],"yoast_head":"\nGOVERNOR'S FIELD WAITING ON LANDRIEU - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2015\/03\/05\/governors-field-waiting-landrieu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GOVERNOR'S FIELD WAITING ON LANDRIEU - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some say he will. Others call it downright unfathomable. 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