[StBernard] With Blanco out, jockeying begins

[Westley Annis]

With Blanco out, jockeying begins
Demos await Breaux's plans; GOP strategizes 
Thursday, March 22, 2007
By Bill Barrow
and Ed Anderson%%par%%Capital bureau 

BATON ROUGE -- A day after Gov. Kathleen Blanco announced she would not seek
a second term, the political landscape remained in flux as Democrats waited
for word from former U.S. Sen. John Breaux and Republicans jockeyed to
adjust their strategy. 

Breaux, a senior counsel with the Washington lobbying and law firm of Patton
Boggs, issued a statement that he will reveal his plans "in the near
future." 

The statement added, "I am spending time with my family while seriously
evaluating what is best for Louisiana and determining whether I can be
helpful for the state as a candidate for governor." 

A panel of state Republican Party leaders, meanwhile, endorsed U.S. Rep.
Bobby Jindal of Kenner on Wednesday, prompting protests from state Sen.
Walter Boasso of Arabi, who blasted his fellow Republicans for "back-room"
dealing. 

The Jindal endorsement came from the state party's eight-member executive
committee after the full central committee, which numbers more than 200,
failed Saturday to adopt an endorsement policy. 

Some in the party wanted a convention called to make endorsements. 

State GOP Chairman Roger Villere of Metairie said the executive committee,
which oversees the day-to-day operations of the party between meetings of
the central committee, rallied behind Jindal to "send an immediate and
unmistakable message to the voters of Louisiana that the Republican Party is
united and fully committed to winning the gubernatorial election, regardless
of whom the Democrat candidate may or may not be." 

Boasso didn't see it that way. 

"It's the same old people trying to control things," he said. "They put it
out into the public that it was a big consensus. That's misleading. 

"The days when these small groups of insiders determine our future has got
to come to an end." 


Seeking judgment? 

Beyond the question of whether Breaux is interested in being governor, the
bigger question is whether the longtime Louisiana senator-turned-Maryland
resident is actually eligible to run in his home state. 

Democratic Party officials and legal experts said Breaux could settle the
question by seeking judgment from the Louisiana courts. Otherwise, state law
suggests the matter could not go to court until after Sept. 6, when
qualifying ends. 

The open primary is Oct. 20, with any necessary runoff scheduled for Nov.
17. 

Louisiana Republicans are continuing a statewide television blitz of
commercials that showcase Breaux's suburban Washington home and cast its
occupant as a former Louisianian who has turned his back on the state to
cash in as a high-priced federal lobbyist. 

That is why Breaux should pursue a resolution himself if he plans to run,
Democrats said Wednesday. 

"I would go to court and get it settled, so it is not an issue in the race,"
seven-term Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom said. "He should do it sooner
rather than later. . . . Breaux would have a better shot at saving the
Democratic Party than anyone else." 

Democrats who announced their candidacy before Blanco's withdrawal include
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell of Bossier Parish and the Rev.
Raymond Brown of New Orleans. 

Some surveys have shown Jindal with a significant lead over Breaux in
hypothetical matchups, although pollsters note that Breaux has not been
actively campaigning. 

Blanco defeated Jindal by 4 percentage points in the 2003 runoff. 

State Democratic Party Chairman Chris Whittington said Breaux is scheduled
to attend a state party fundraiser and symposium in Lake Charles on March 29
and probably will clear the air by then. 

"I think he will have to say something by then" or face a chorus of
questions at the event about his political future, Whittington said. 


'Not scared of' Breaux 

James Quinn, executive director of the Louisiana GOP, refused to disclose
how much ad time his party has secured to fire at Breaux, but he called it
"a significant buy." 

Quinn dismissed the notions that the attacks suggest GOP fear of a Breaux
candidacy and that they could backfire. 

"No, we're not scared of John Breaux," Quinn said. "We want to protect our
party and our position, and we believe very strongly that he is not
qualified under the Louisiana Constitution, and we want to make that
clear."' 

The Louisiana Constitution of 1974 requires that candidates for statewide
office must "have been a citizen of the United States and of this state for
at least the preceding five years." 


Terms poorly defined 

But the document does not define the word "citizen," most commonly used in
legal matters as a national designation, and neither the state Supreme Court
nor the Legislature has clarified how the word applies to statewide
candidates. 

An Acadia Parish native, Breaux left office in 2005 and has since registered
to vote in Maryland, secured a Maryland driver's license and claimed a
homestead exemption in that state. 

He still owns property and pays ad valorem taxes in Louisiana. 

Whittington and other Democratic attorneys have argued that Breaux never
ceased to consider himself a Louisiana citizen. 

They also point to a history of Louisiana courts erring on the side of
letting candidates run, thus giving voters more choices. 

Republicans offer a straightforward interpretation that Breaux cut ties with
Louisiana. Some GOP sympathizers also point to a recent Louisiana Supreme
Court case that shifts the burden of proving eligibility to the candidate
once a challenger provides enough evidence to cast legitimate doubt. 

Breaux could speed a resolution himself by asking a court for a declaratory
judgment, likely in the form of a lawsuit against Secretary of State Jay
Dardenne in his official capacity, Whittington said. 

Under state law, a challenger could not initiate legal action on the matter
until after Breaux qualified officially. Qualifying is Sept. 4-6. 

State Treasurer John Kennedy added his name Wednesday to the list of
prominent Democrats to pass on a bid for governor. "I'm running for
re-election," he said. U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon of Napoleonville, one of
the state's two Democratic congressmen, said Tuesday that he won't run. 

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu said he won't decide about the race until Breaux
discloses his plans. Landrieu said he would run for re-election as Breaux's
"partner" if Breaux runs for governor. 

Efforts to reach former U.S. Rep. Chris John of Crowley and Shaw Group CEO
Jim Bernhard, a prominent Democratic Party player, were not successful. John
ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2004. Bernhard, chairman of
Blanco's transition team in 2003-04, has had polls conducted gauging his
chances. 

Republican businessman John Georges of Jefferson Parish has not formally
announced his candidacy but has filed campaign reports showing he has lent
his campaign $2 million. 

. . . . . . . 

Capital bureau chief Robert Travis Scott contributed to this report. 

Bill Barrow can be reached at bbarrow at timespicayune.com or (225) 342-5590.
Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson at timespicayune.com or (225) 342-5810.