On the Nov. 8 ballot in Louisiana, there will be 63 different candidates running in seven federal races for the U.S House and Senate. This means voters will have plenty of names to choose from \u2014 possibly more than at any other time in recent history.<\/p>\n
In the U.S. Senate race alone, 24 candidates qualified, hoping to succeed senior Sen. David Vitter. That\u2019s more than any other U.S. Senate race hosted by Louisiana since at least 1980.<\/p>\n
There were 16 candidates running in 2010 to oppose Vitter\u2019s re-election, which was the first balloting to follow the revelation about the D.C. Madam controversy. Before that, in 1996, 15 candidates qualified in the race to replace retiring Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, a contest that former Sen. Mary Landrieu won.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four candidates are difficult to manage from almost every perspective \u2014 even by the standards of Louisiana politics, said Martin P. Johnson, an LSU political science professor and the Kevin P. Reilly chair at the Manship School of Mass Communication.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a problem for pollsters,\u201d Johnson said with a laugh. \u201cI\u2019m sure you want as many people as possible in those assessments, but what a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
It could be worse, he added; in 2003 in California the recall ballot for then-Gov. Gray Davis resulted in 135 candidates qualifying. Candidates included movie icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, an adult film star, a pornography publisher, unemployed actor Gary Coleman, a state senator and a cast of others.<\/p>\n
Louisiana\u2019s U.S. Senate race won\u2019t be as crowded. But the 24 qualifications do send an early message that no single, competitive candidate has their respective base solidified yet, Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big part of this is that there\u2019s not a clear answer to who the big powerhouse will be in the future and there\u2019s a lot of political ambition out there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The list of notables is large; it includes Congressman Charles Boustany, Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, former Congressman Joseph Cao, former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke, attorney Caroline Fayard, Congressman John Fleming, former state Legislator Troy Hebert, Treasurer John Kennedy, retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness, New Orleans businessman Abhay Patel and Acadiana oil executive Joshua Pellerin \u2014 to name just 11 of the 24.<\/p>\n
On a smaller ballot, the leading candidates would be pushing for a large share of the electorate to make it to the runoff. But with the primary votes being split up among so many different names, the margins will be much tighter. \u201cThe folks who end up in the runoff will presumably have percentages in the low 20s,\u201d said Johnson.<\/p>\n
The two open seats in the U.S. House delegation has drawn a large number of contenders as well; there have been 12 in the Acadiana-based 3rd Congressional District, where they are trying to replace Boustany; and eight in northwest Louisiana\u2019s 4th Congressional District, who want to replace Fleming.<\/p>\n
No member of Louisiana\u2019s House delegation will be running unopposed this fall. All four incumbents seeking re-election have fielded challengers.<\/p>\n
Business Eyes Task Force<\/strong><\/p>\n Dan Born\u00e9, president of the Louisiana Chemical Assoc., told the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge that he believes business and industry will collectively pay for $3 billion in additional taxes over the next three years due to recent legislative actions.<\/p>\n He also hinted that a tax reform task force could guide what happens in the future on this front.<\/p>\n But what comes next is truly the big question.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is certain is the uncertainty about whether these taxes will be modified, extended or increased as the state approaches another fiscal cliff not that far down the road,\u201d Born\u00e9 said.<\/p>\n He said new business investments are at risk, and that Texas could be the big winner. \u201cTexas knows that when the investment incentives are at parity, Texas wins,\u201d he said. \u201cSure, we have the river. But Texas has scale that mocks every other industrial area in the United States. Texas\u2019 chemical output is more than [that of] California and Louisiana combined.\u201d<\/p>\n One path forward for the business lobby in general, Born\u00e9 suggested, is to make sure it has a seat and a voice in the task force process that will yield a set of recommendations in September for next year\u2019s fiscal reform session of the Louisiana Legislature.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not only important to do this,\u201d he said, \u201cit\u2019s absolutely necessary if we want to reverse the impact of the serious and negative change in Louisiana\u2019s business climate.\u201d<\/p>\n Governor Supports Trade Deal<\/strong><\/p>\n A far-reaching trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership that pulls in 12 different countries has earned the support of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.<\/p>\n Edwards made his announcement recently with a bipartisan group of governors attending the National Governors Association\u2019s summer conference. The group included Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa, Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa.<\/p>\n \u201cLouisiana is a trade powerhouse,\u201d said Edwards. \u201cWe have built a thriving international commerce and trade economy, and have one of the largest port complexes in the world. The TPP will directly impact Louisiana businesses and open the pathway for improved commerce and trade between the United States and our Pacific Rim partners.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2015, Louisiana exported more than $49 billion worth of goods. It continues to rank among the top 10 exporting states in the nation.<\/p>\n According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, $17.5 billion in Louisiana products were exported to TPP countries in 2014, equaling 27 percent of all Louisiana exports.<\/p>\n In addition to the U.S., Trans-Pacific partners include Australia, Brunei Daraussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The text of the trade agreement needs to be signed and ratified by all 12 countries.<\/p>\n The trade deal eliminates more than 18,000 tariffs on goods made and grown in the United States, including a 40-percent tariff on poultry, a 7-percent tariff on oysters, a 25-percent tariff on paint and a 33-percent tariff on soybean products.<\/p>\n Abraham Gets Vet Bill To President<\/strong><\/p>\n A bill by freshman Congressman Ralph Abraham, R-Alto, to provide veterans with a cost of living adjustment is pending approval by President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n The full House and Senate passed Abraham\u2019s HR 5588, the \u201cVeterans\u2019 Compensation COLA Act of 2016.\u201d Obama is expected to endorse the resolution.<\/p>\n It directs the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to increase the following on Dec. 1:<\/p>\n \u2014 The rates of veterans\u2019 disability compensation.<\/p>\n \u2014 Additional compensation for dependents.<\/p>\n \u2014 The clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans.<\/p>\n \u2014 Dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses.<\/p>\n The amount of the increase will not be known until the end of the year. But it will track what\u2019s provided under Title II of the Social Security Act.<\/p>\n Veterans depend on Congress to act each year to provide them with benefits adjustments. Abraham, however, is pushing to make veterans\u2019 COLA adjustments automatic, thereby removing the need for Congress to act annually.<\/p>\n His bill HR 677, the \u201cAmerican Heroes COLA Act,\u201d would grant veterans a benefit adjustment each year Social Security recipients receive an adjustment. HR 677 passed the House in February, but the Senate has not acted on it.<\/p>\n \u201cVeterans deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing a COLA will come annually, rather than hoping Congress can break its gridlock to provide for them,\u201d Abraham said.<\/p>\n Expanded Medicaid Program Reaches Benchmark\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Officials with the Louisiana Dept. of Health say the state\u2019s expanded Medicaid program has now enrolled 250,000 new adult participants.<\/p>\n The program, known as \u201cHealthy Louisiana,\u201d kicked off its enrollment process on June 1 and began its new coverage offerings on July 1.<\/p>\n Dr. Rebekah Gee, the department\u2019s secretary, said the expansion will eventually bring health insurance coverage to 375,000 Louisianans.<\/p>\n In the first month and a half of enrollment, she said, an average of 2,500 residents per day signed up for Medicaid coverage.<\/p>\n Expanded Medicaid coverage is available for adults 19-64 with a household income of up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or $33,534 for a family of four. Applicants must meet citizenship requirements and cannot already be covered by Medicaid or Medicare. Residents who think they may be eligible can apply in person, by phone or online at healthy.la.gov.<\/p>\n Super PAC Bows Out Of Senate Race<\/strong><\/p>\n A super PAC that was formed to support the U.S. Senate candidacy of state Treasurer John Kennedy has been disbanded, and its money has been transferred to a national conservative advocacy group that could end up playing an out-front role in the developing race.<\/p>\n The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that super PACs, unlike traditional political committees, are allowed to raise unlimited sums of moneys.<\/p>\n The Make Louisiana Proud PAC was formed last year by consultant Jason Redmond, a former top aide to Kennedy at the state treasury. A year later, the PAC has been terminated, according to paperwork filed with the Federal Election Committee.<\/p>\n Case law and federal guidelines prohibit candidates from coordinating with the super PACs that are supporting them. That means that Kennedy was not directly involved with Make Louisiana Proud.<\/p>\n From July 1, 2015, to June 30 of this year, the super PAC raised $476,000, and spent money on email, a website, fundraising, social media and other ways to promote Kennedy\u2019s candidacy.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pursuing a new professional opportunity,\u201d Redmond told LaPolitics.<\/p>\n All is not lost, however, for Kennedy boosters. Before it was terminated, Make Louisiana Proud\u2019s final FEC report showed a transfer of its remaining money, nearly $120,000, to the D.C.-based ESAFund. That included $20,000 in cash and some $100,000 in in-kind donations for polling and candidate research.<\/p>\n Formerly known as the Ending Spending Action Fund, the ESAFund played big roles in three U.S. Senate races in 2014 \u2014 including the one that was held in Louisiana. It has also been active in this year\u2019s presidential race.<\/p>\n For this cycle, the ESAFund has already officially endorsed 13 candidates, including Kennedy.<\/p>\n The group has received massive donations from the likes of TD Ameritrade executive Joe Rickett and billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer.<\/p>\n Qualifying for the U.S. Senate race has begun. The primary election is slated for Nov. 8, with a runoff, if needed, on Dec. 10.<\/p>\n For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the Nov. 8 ballot in Louisiana, there will be 63 different candidates running in seven federal races for the U.S House and Senate. This means voters will have plenty of names to choose from \u2014 possibly more than at any other time in recent history. In the U.S. Senate race alone, 24 candidates qualified, [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":2376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[63,32],"yoast_head":"\n