Nathan Stubbs

Dems to open Jefferson Street office

by Nathan Stubbs

The Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee is planning to open a Lafayette campaign headquarters, to coordinate efforts on behalf of presidential candidate Barack Obama, US. Sen. Mary Landreiu’s re-election bid, and the Congressional run of state Sen. Don Cravins Jr. The office will be located at 601 Jefferson Street, near the Pontiac Point intersection at Evangeline Thruway and is slated to open July 1. Stephen Handwerk, co-chairman of the Democratic Central Committee’s 7th Congressional District, says another headquarters is being opened in Lake Charles and additional satellite offices may be set up in Crowley and other more rural areas throughout the district.

Handwerk adds the state party is hurrying to set up following a lengthy Democratic presidential primary race that saw record voter turnout throughout the country. He says party officials are already fielding calls locally from people eager to get involved, especially in the presidential race. “I am quite shocked,” Handwerk says. “Rewind the clock to four years ago with John Kerry; we were calling people. Now, we can’t even get the office open fast enough for a lot of individuals. We’re getting probably about 10 phone calls a day and probably 40 to 50 emails a day, saying, ‘what’s going on? How can we help?”