For the first time in the long history of both organizations, the Louisiana Association of Educators and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers are pooling their resources and funding for a single election cycle.
The immediate goal is to communicate to its shared 40,000 or so members, with a universe of influence of three to five — meaning 120,000 to 200,000 potential votes — that nothing matters more than the race for governor. And by extension, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education seats.
Dubbed “It’s Time to Get it Right,” the campaign will offer recommendations for governor, BESE and legislative seats. But the top of the ticket is all that matters this year, especially if the BESE races on the fall ballot produce no clear majority and the governor's appointees to the board will make the difference.
Both teachers groups intend to max out financially on state Rep. John Bel Edwards’ bid for governor and, much more importantly, push its members to get involved with both money and sweat equity. LAE and LFT will be more involved in this governor’s race than any other in recent memory and they’re communicating daily, organizers say.
The architects of the standalone campaign say the catalyst for the joint effort was the session’s debate over paycheck protection, which the unions and others managed to stall. Major union wins on the Jefferson Parish School Board last year also set the stage.
As a single unit, the Get It Right campaign could potentially become a second source of organization and money outside of the Democratic Party for Edwards. This is especially important with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu presumably sitting on the sidelines, although that could always change.
LAE and LFT have supported similar candidates in the past, but those previous election cycles have usually been marked by disagreements in other races — playing out against a backdrop of competition, sometimes-conflicting goals and scant shades of mistrust.
Separately the unions have small election budgets and even together their money isn’t exactly jaw-dropping. Some radio is expected, but real value could be seen in phone banks, data gathering and the mobilization of troops. The most impressive coup would be the unions getting their national counterparts to pay attention and open their money spigots, a stratagem that is in the works.
But more than anything else, how the unions play jointly in the election cycle is what matters most. And those cards aren’t being shown.
With Edwards expected to possibly lead the primary field as the lone Democrat, their efforts may be best reserved for the runoff. If the unions are to participate heavily in the primary, the trick may be helping to decide Edwards’ opponent.
Some Democrats are rallying around the idea that they want U.S. Sen. David Vitter in the runoff, which mirrors the preference of Vitter boosters wanting Edwards. Neither side appears overly enthusiastic about facing either Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle or Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne in the final showdown.
In what could only be produced by Louisiana’s open primary system, that means the pro-Vitter super PAC Fund For Louisiana’s Future and the unions could have a shared goal in the primary.
Looking ahead, the real questions will be whether the unions can make this temporary marriage a happy one and whether it morphs into other significant team-ups in the future.