House District 45 Rep. Joel Robideaux is term-limited and running for city-parish president next year, leaving his seat up for grabs come 2015 and at least three likely contenders so far, including ...
It's never too early to start thinking about next year's legislative races.
Rep. Joel Robideaux will be leaving his post at the state Legislature come 2015, and so far there's at least three potential contenders looking to make a run for his House District 45 seat next year.
After all, the potential candidates are already making moves and at least one special election will be needed before the 2015 balloting, possibly more.
But before that even happens, there's a special election on this year's November ballot in House District 97, which was left vacant by now-New Orleans Councilman Jared Brossett.
Only two candidates qualified in August for the Crescent City race and neither were the high-profile names that were batted around in the preceding months, like state Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans, and Sidney Cates V.
Instead, two Democrats with roots in old-school New Orleans politics emerged: Eugene Green, who once worked for disgraced former Congressman Bill Jefferson and former Mayor Marc Morial, and Joe Bouie, who challenged and lost to Brossett in the council elections held earlier this year.
Given Bouie's recent loss in a council district that takes up a large part of the local House district, sources give Green the early edge. Rep. Jeff Arnold, D-New Orleans, is also said to be helping Green, who lost his own at-large council race against an incumbent in February but supposedly managed to build strong coalitions in the process.
"Both kind of feel like throwback candidates, from an older school of politics," said a source. "But nobody else qualified and that's what we're working with."
Meanwhile, Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Benton, has won a gavel in the 26th Judicial District in the best way imaginable: without opposition. As a result, he game of musical chairs now begins in north Louisiana's House District 8.
"I don't take office until Jan. 1," Thompson said, "so between now and then I'll send notice to the House so they can prepare for either a December election or maybe one at the beginning of the year."
The biggest splash made so far from those lining up for the special election comes from constitutional law attorney Mike Johnson, who has picked up endorsements from Congressman John Fleming and U.S. Sen. David Vitter.
Other possible candidates are Bossier Police Jury President Doug Rimmer and Duke Lowrie, a retired fireman who lost to Thompson in 2011.
While a special election in House District 8 could easily be added to the already-scheduled December runoff ballot, legislative leaders want to wait and see what happens in the other November races featuring lawmakers as candidates.
For example, Rep. Alfred Williams, D-Baton Rouge, is facing two challengers in the 19th Judicial District. With only one opponent, Rep. Hunter Greene, R-Baton Rouge, will have his race decided for the city's Family Court after the November vote.
In Greene's House District 66, Baton Rouge Metro Councilman Buddy Amoroso has already announced he is running, should Greene win. Supporters of former councilman Darrell Ourso are said to be encouraging him to consider the race as well.
In Rapides Parish, Rep. Chris Hazel, R-Ball, is running for district attorney in a three-way field that should produce a runoff between either him, former Rep. Chris Roy or Pineville City Judge Phillip Terrell.
In Bossier Parish, Rep. Patrick Williams, D-Shreveport, is running against six others for mayor of Shreveport. With his fundraising base partly in Baton Rouge and supposedly thriving, local elected officials expect him to at least make the runoff.
How much Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover gets involved in the race to replace him remains to be seen. Connections to Glover can be made to the candidacies of Shreveport Councilman Sam Jenkins and Ollie Tyler, the former Caddo school superintendent and interim state education superintendent.
Also worth watching is whether Sen. Greg Tarver, D-Shreveport, steps into the race as an influencer. He heads up a political machine that's at odds with Glover and he could very well pick his own candidate. The animosity between the two has apparently led to speculation that Glover may stand toe-to-toe next year to challenge Tarver's re-election to the Senate.
Playing out in the background of these possible special elections is the maneuvering that's already underway for the seats that will open next fall.
In House District 45, term-limited Rep. Joel Robideaux, R-Lafayette, is running for city-parish president next year, creating an open field that several takers are eyeing. Andre Comeaux, an insurance agent; Jean-Paul Coussan, a real-estate lawyer; and Jan Swift, an economic development professional, have all been cited as likely contenders.
In House District 72, Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite, is opting to run for governor next year instead of re-election, and is leaving behind a vacancy. The developing race has been very quiet, with only one candidate making noise. That would be Hunter Carter, who was elected alderman in the town of Greensburg at the age of 21 as a pro-life, pro-gun Democrat.