{"id":8827,"date":"2019-06-20T07:00:25","date_gmt":"2019-06-20T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=8827"},"modified":"2019-06-19T17:16:33","modified_gmt":"2019-06-19T22:16:33","slug":"lt-governor-may-face-a-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2019\/06\/20\/lt-governor-may-face-a-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Lt. Governor May Face A Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jeremy Alford and\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Mitch Rabalais<\/i><\/p>\n

After taking to Facebook to publicly acknowledge that he is considering a bid for lieutenant governor this fall, former Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Reynolds told LaPolitics that he should have a clear resolution on the race soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to make a final decision within the next week or two,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Gene Reynolds<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Democrat from Webster Parish said he has been encouraged to run by members of both parties, including former legislative colleagues who often stop by his Spanish Town home to chat after hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While he readily admitted to considering a party switch, Reynolds said that he has yet to decide if he will cross the partisan Rubicon and run as a Republican.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI seem to have support on both sides of the aisle,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reynolds added that he has briefly discussed his deliberations with Gov. John Bel Edwards, a friend from their lower chamber days, but is not seeking counsel from the current occupant of the Governor\u2019s Mansion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the fundraising front, Reynolds said that he would kick-start a potential campaign with an influx of personal funds, but was not looking to self-finance the entire bid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While he did not specifically state how much he would spend, the former lawmaker said, \u201cI would put in whatever it took.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reynolds, who briefly led the state parks system under incumbent Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, said that if he were to run, his campaign would focus less on partisanship and personality and more on his plan for a drastic reformation of the state\u2019s number-two job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not looking to run against Billy,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the lieutenant governor currently heads up the Bayou State\u2019s tourism efforts, Reynolds said that he would want to put the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism under the governor\u2019s office with an appointed secretary, similar to DOTD and the Department of Revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He also sees opportunities to merge other assets into different agencies, such as joining the state parks system with Wildlife and Fisheries\u2019 management areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While he acknowledged that he hasn\u2019t decided whether or not to push to abolish the office or create a new set of duties, Reynolds would hope to be able to have his reforms completed by 2023. \u201cI think it is doable in one term,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DFER Making A Splash\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Louisiana branch of Democrats for Education Reform, the group founded in 2015 by Eva Kemp, is planning to make a splash in the 2019 cycle, playing in numerous legislative races and supporting Gov. John Bel Edwards\u2019 re-election bid.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the governor\u2019s race, Kemp said that the pro-education reform group plans to spend a \u201chealthy six figures\u201d in support of the incumbent\u2019s campaign.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all behind John Bel,\u201d Kemp told LaPolitics.<\/p>\n

Kemp added that the group is also currently tracking 45 legislative races statewide but is still contemplating decisions on where exactly to get involved. While she primarily works out of New Orleans, Kemp and other DFER leaders have been working since 2017 to recruit candidates in areas such as Monroe, Shreveport and Lake Charles. In addition, DFER is working with other groups who are recruiting candidates, trying to identify contenders who are supportive of DFER\u2019s policy positions.<\/p>\n

When it comes to legislative races, the group will be getting involved in both D-on-D races and opportunities to flip seats back to the Democratic Party. Kemp expects DFER to spend significant amounts in selected House and Senate districts, although amounts may vary from race to race.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking at races where there is an opportunity to play in order to get more DFERs elected,\u201d Kemp said.<\/p>\n

Not to be forgotten on the fall ballot, the group also plans to get involved in the two BESE districts with viable chances to elect Democrats.<\/p>\n

Political History: John Slidell And The Polk Presidency\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nearly two centuries before a controversial presidential election was investigated for alleged interference and words like \u201ccollusion\u201d became part of the political lexicon, one Louisiana congressman used his own creative method to ensure that his preferred candidate resided in the White House.<\/p>\n

In the 1844 presidential election, Gov. James K. Polk of Tennessee faced off against U.S. Sen. Henry Clay of Kentucky. Polk, a Jacksonian Democrat, played up his rough and tumble image as an outsider from the frontier. Meanwhile, Clay, a Whig, made his case based on his decades of experience in Washington and reputation as the country\u2019s foremost political insider.<\/p>\n

In New Orleans, then-Congressman John Slidell was working hard to ensure a Democratic victory in the Bayou State. According to The Political Apprenticeship of John Slidell by Joseph Tregle, the congressman was eager to move up the ladder in Washington and was more than happy to help Polk out if it could further his ambitions too.<\/p>\n

With voting only a few weeks away, the national vote appeared pretty evenly split. Louisiana, a swing state, would have the power to tip the election to either candidate.<\/p>\n

According to A Perfect War of Politics by John M. Sacher, the state\u2019s geography was a big factor in the contest. Polk had a loyal following in North Louisiana and the Florida Parishes, while Clay had a solid base of support in South Louisiana and New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Slidell knew that for Polk to win Louisiana and the presidency, he would have to carry a part of the southern portion of the state. His solution for the problem was simple.<\/p>\n

On Election Day, the congressman chartered a riverboat in New Orleans and loaded hundreds of the city\u2019s Irish immigrants on to the vessel. They then traveled downriver to Plaquemines Parish, where everybody disembarked and proudly cast their ballots for Polk.<\/p>\n

According to Sacher, Plaquemines had only had 290 residents vote in the 1840 presidential election. However, four years later, Polk carried the parish by 990 votes, also winning the statewide vote in the process.<\/p>\n

As for Congressman Slidell, the new president rewarded him with a plum diplomatic post in Mexico.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They Said It<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe best secrets are the ones you never talk about.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rep. Johnny Guinn, R-Jennings, during a legislative committee meeting<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chinese say if you sit by the bank of the river long enough, you\u2019ll see the dead bodies of your enemies come floating by, and I did it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Former Gov. Edwin Edwards, on longevity, on WVLA<\/p>\n

For more Louisiana political news, visit LaPolitics.com or follow Alford and Rabalais on Twitter via @LaPoliticsNow.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jeremy Alford and\u00a0Mitch Rabalais After taking to Facebook to publicly acknowledge that he is considering a bid for lieutenant governor this fall, former Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Reynolds told LaPolitics that he should have a clear resolution on the race soon. \u201cI need to make a final decision within the next week or two,\u201d [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2018,63,1672,32],"yoast_head":"\nLt. 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