INDReporter

Morris: 5th District race 'fixed'

by Walter Pierce

Rep. Jay Morris says he thinks Gov. Bobby Jindal and Congressman Rodney Alexander tried to orchestrate Alexander's resignation to benefit GOP state Sen. Neil Riser.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A Republican state lawmaker from Monroe says he will run in the October special election for a congressional seat representing northeast and central Louisiana.

Rep. Jay Morris says he thinks Gov. Bobby Jindal and Congressman Rodney Alexander tried to orchestrate Alexander's resignation to benefit GOP state Sen. Neil Riser.

Morris says he's entering the 5th District race to give voters a choice.

Alexander announced last week that he wouldn't seek re-election. A day later, Alexander was named Jindal's new veterans secretary, leaving Congress in September.

Riser immediately announced plans to run for Congress.

Riser says he didn't get advance notice from Jindal or Alexander. He says he's regularly made known his interest in running for Congress.

A Jindal spokesman denied suggestions the governor sought to rig the race for Riser.