Republican diversity, Vitter style
David Vitter must have a very diverse mailroom. Note to Louisiana Republicans seeking votes in the black community: If you plan to tout the diversity of your staff, take a couple of minutes to...
Republican diversity, Vitter style
David Vitter must have a very diverse mailroom. Note to Louisiana Republicans seeking votes in the black community: If you plan to tout the diversity of your staff, take a couple of minutes to...
Landrieu's GOP rivals lining up
With the anticipated inclusion of state Rep. Paul Hollis of Covington, practically every faction of the Louisiana Republican Party is now represented in the still-developing U.S. Senate election. With...
LaPolitics talks politics and more with Rep. Joel Robideaux
Calling him a "behind-the-scenes leader in the lower chamber," the political news service's Kelly Connelly talks with the Lafayette lawmaker about the upcoming session and why he's running...
Landrieu: Jindal an obstructionist on Medicaid
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu heightened her criticism Tuesday of Gov. Bobby Jindal's refusal to expand Louisiana's Medicaid program, accusing the governor of putting his presidential ambitions ahead of his...
Jindal wants recovery dollars for pre-k
A push by Gov. Bobby Jindal to use federal recovery money for an at-risk pre-school program is a cause of concern for one coastal legislator. Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration's answer for remedying...
TEST Dr. Loren Scott Presents His Annual Forecast at the 2016 Entrée to Business Breakfast
Dwight Andrus Insurance and IberiaBank join forces again to present Scott’s projections for the One Acadiana region.
NOTE TO GOV: SHUT UP AND LISTEN Last week, op-ed page columnist Lanny Keller of The Advocate nailed — in his distinctive, witty style — what is probably the biggest obstacle facing our enormously...
COUNCILMAN OPPOSES BOND ISSUE There was little discussion when the city-parish council voted this week to schedule a parish-wide election in April for a new $26 million bond proposal — to be paid back...
LA. AND ILL. BATTLE FOR ‘MOST CORRUPT’ TITLE At a press conference last week detailing allegations that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly try to auction off his appointment of President-Elect...
GOP CELEBRATES BIG CONGRESSIONAL WINS Nationally, the Republican Party may be in disarray after a disappointing election year in which Democrats won the White House and picked up seats in both houses...
DUREL’S WISHLIST TO OBAMA Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel was one of more than 200 U.S. mayors to participate in a recent msnbc.com survey about what city leaders want from President-elect...
Moon Griffon gets roasted and more SCHOOL BOARD, COUNCIL TO BEGIN JOINT MEETINGS The Lafayette Parish School Board and the Lafayette Consolidated Council, along with City-Parish President Joey Durel...
GOP looking to Jindal, Moon Griffon no longer a Republican and more GOP LOOKING TO JINDAL There’s no shortage of stories this week about the national Republican Party’s soul searching in the wake of...
Jindal's favorable ratings drop and more JINDAL’S FAVORABLE RATINGS DROPPING When you’re at the top, as they say, there’s nowhere to go but down. Just ask GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal, whose superstar poll...
Two councilmen take pay raise, Esquire backs Boustany and more Two councilmen take pay raise Lafayette City-Parish Councilmen Kenneth Boudreaux and Brandon Shelvin will be making $2,317 more than...
Nancy Landry picking up big endorsements, Michele Ezell appointed to city-parish council and more **Nancy Landry picking up big endorsements ** District 31 state representative hopeful Nancy Landry is...
Cravins ad highlights Boustany's checks, Boustany outspends Cravins on TV ads and more CRAVINS AD HIGHLIGHTS BOUSTANY’S DISABILITY CHECKS Don Cravins Jr. has opened up a new front in the 7th District...
Pastorek taps Trahan, Boustany won't commit to KLFY debate and more PASTOREK TAPS TRAHAN State Rep. Don Trahan of Lafayette calls it “an opportunity that I could not pass up.” Last Tuesday he was...
Cravins gets advice from Carville and more CRAVINS GETS ADVICE FROM JAMES CARVILLE On Friday, Sept. 12, state Sen. Don Cravins Jr. went to New Orleans for a special lunch meeting with one of the...
Ezell, Kennedy likely frontrunners for District 6 Council seat and more Ezell, Kennedy likely frontrunners for District 6 Council seat This week, the Lafayette City-Parish Council is scheduled to...
New Iberia trash talk and more TALKING TRASH IN IBERIA PARISH Hurricane recovery efforts usually bring folks together. But the downed tree limb-lined streets of New Iberia served as the battleground...
Charles deGravelles dies, Jim Roy heads LSU System board and more ACADIANA LOSES REPUBLICAN LEADER CHARLIE DEGRAVELLES, 95 Well-respected Louisiana Republican leader and oilman Charles C. deGravelles...
Landrieu's clerical error makes headlines, Kennedy could double-dip on Bush exposure and more Landrieu's clerical error makes headlines A senior Democratic senator co-hosting a fund-raiser for her...
Kennedy's cheap, Acadiana businessmen back Landrieu and more KENNEDY: I’M CHEAP Republican U.S. Senate Candidate John Kennedy has launched his first TV ad in his bid to unseat two-term incumbent Mary...
Laura Bush to attend fundraiser and more First lady Laura Bush will be in Lafayette on Thursday, Aug. 14, for a fund-raiser on behalf of Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Kennedy. Local...
Kennedy and Landrieu spar over oil legislation, Cormier gets rematch with Picard and more SENATE CANDIDATES SPAR OVER OIL LEGISLATION State Treasurer John Kennedy has been taking incumbent U.S. Sen....
Boustany's fundraising advantage over Cravins, veto session dies and more BOUSTANY POSTS BIG FUNDRAISING ADVANTAGE OVER CRAVINS Having entered the 7th District Congressional race relatively late,...
Developer enters New Iberia's race, then bails out REPEAL OF OCS DRILLING BAN PICKING UP SUPPORT Members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation have long called for lifting the ban on offshore...
Keaty nets $100,000 with a fund raiser, a possible Jindal staff shakeup and more KEATY FUND RAISER NETS NEARLY $100,000 Judge Phyllis Keaty’s re-election campaign kicked off last week with a major...
Perret resigns from ethics board and more ethics reform chaos abounds LAFAYETTE’S PERRET RESIGNS FROM ETHICS BOARD In an unsurprising move, Lafayette attorney Hank Perret has resigned as chairman of...
The blasting of Gov. Jindal, the fury over the pay raise and more CONSERVATIVES AND CORE SUPPORTERS BLASTING JINDAL With his repeated pledge not to veto the pay raise that will double legislators’...
Cravins to run against Boustany, Jindal on intelligent design and more CRAVINS JR. RUNNING AGAINST BOUSTANY When The Independent Weekly went to press with our feature on last week’s cover story...
Hardy's noose bill moves forward, Jindal's earmark irony and more HARDY’S NOOSE BILL MOVES FORWARD Democratic State Rep. Rickey Hardy’s bill to outlaw nooses displayed as a threat is another step...
Jindal-as-VP speculation, talk of Victoria Reggie picking up the Camelot crown and more THE DUELING JINDAL-AS-VP SPECULATION In the ongoing John McCain veepstakes, two camps have emerged as Gov. Bobby...
Acadiana legislators' slush funds, Vitter irony alert and more ACADIANA LEGISLATORS’ SLUSH FUNDS Same old song, different dance. Former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco supposedly did away with slush...
Democrats look to Cravins to run against Boustany, a Legislative pay increase and more DEMOCRATS RECRUITING CRAVINS JR. TO RUN AGAINST BOUSTANY The national Democratic Party is putting the full court...
Sen. Smith explains sex toys, Tucker bumps Trahan and more LOUISIANA SEN. SMITH EXPLAINS SEX TOYS Ask anyone in Louisiana to name the most pressing challenges facing the state, and you’ll get a...
Cravins Jr. considers party switch, McPherson gets "cutesy" and more CRAVINS JR. WEIGHS PARTY SWITCH, CONGRESSIONAL RUN State Sen. Don Cravins Jr. is considering a run for Congress in the...
Skinner won't run for DA, Acadiana legislators say "enough" to surplus spending and more SKINNER NOT RUNNING FOR DA Disappointingly, it’s over before it officially began. Former U.S....
Pro-Jindal raises nearlty $750,000, Dardenne stays put for now and more PRO-JINDAL GROUP RAISES NEARLY $750,000 The cost of gas, health care, and groceries keep going up, up, up, and the economy is...
Blossman in hot water, Pinac not running against Boustany and more BLOSSMAN IN HOT WATER OVER PITCH FOR ACADIAN SALESMAN Public Service Commissioner Jay Blossman can now officially be counted in the...
Tony Tramel's need for speed, Pastorek's raise halted and more TONY TRAMEL’S NEED FOR SPEED? While Lafayette Consolidated Government struggles with how to deal with the flood of violations being...
Bush to attend Kennedy fund-raiser, Michot's fund-raiser and more BUSH TO ATTEND KENNEDY FUND-RAISER If there were any doubt about the national Republican Party’s commitment to his U.S. Senate...
Langlinais seeks $20,000 in vacation pay, bills seek to raise college tutition and more LANGLINAIS SEEKING UP TO $20,000 IN VACATION PAY Former Iberia Parish President Will Langlinais, who resigned...
Acadiana delegation filled wtih praise, ICF's $156 million raise and more ACADIANA DELEGATION FILLED WITH PRAISE FOR SESSION With a $1.1 billion surplus fully spread around, how could area lawmakers...
Cravins running for state party chairmanship; Michot, Tucker and Jindal host Trahan fund raiser and more CRAVINS RUNNING FOR STATE PARTY CHAIRMANSHIP Former state senator and current Opelousas Mayor...
Patrick LeBlanc returns, Boustany to inherit McCrery's leadership PAC and more HEEE’S BACK ... If you thought Patrick LeBlanc was going to quietly go back to running his private prison empire after...
Locals maintain edge in state GOP, Regents wants Clausen and more LOCALS MAINTAIN EDGE IN STATE GOP ... Two of Lafayette’s best known Republicans have retained their upper-echelon status with the...
Melancon's rise in power, Huckabee says La. primary's "goofy" and more MELANCON VAULTS IN POWER RANKINGS ... The Independent Weekly noted last month in our story “Charlie at the Plate” that...
Bill Clinton's Louisiana blitz, John Breaux's radio ad for Hillary Clinton and more CLINTON’S LAFAYETTE VISIT FOR NAUGHT ... Former President Bill Clinton’s Lafayette stop last Friday at Country...
THE BOUSTANY/VITTER/GIULIANI POST-MORTEM ... One of Louisiana’s more bizarre political alliances is over before it had a chance to make it to the altar. In April 2007, The Independent Weekly...
RON PAUL CHALLENGING STATE GOP CAUCUS RESULTS Republican presidential contender Ron Paul is questioning the results of Louisiana’s recently held GOP caucus. Paul came in third place in the caucus,...
JINDAL TEAM MAKES HEALTH CARE RECOMMENDATIONS Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Health Care Transition Advisory Council has delivered a 35-page report with its recommended health reform agenda. The report largely...
WASHINGTON POST UNCOVERS QUESTIONABLE $2 MILLION LANDRIEU EARMARK The Washington Post gave the Louisiana Republican Party an early Christmas gift with a front-page investigative story on Dec. 20 that...
BARHAM STATE'S TOP SPORTSMAN Term-limited state Sen. Robert Barham will serve as the next secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal announced last week. On paper,...
MICHOT NAMED SENATE FINANCE CHAIR Widespread speculation became reality last week when incoming Democratic Senate President Joel Chaisson II announced that Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Michot of...
LEBLANCS' LIBEL SUIT AGAINST SAN ANTONIO PAPER DISMISSED The libel suit filed by Premier Management Enterprises and its principals Patrick LeBlanc, Michael LeBlanc and Ian Williamson against the San...
BLUEPRINT LOUISIANA TOUTS "SUPER-MAJORITY" IN LEGISLATURE Blueprint Louisiana says it is well on its way to achieving its lofty statewide reform agenda. The organization is touting a...
MELANCON FILES IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon is indeed a Blue Dog. The Napoleonville Democrat tows the conservative line on social issues, much to the delight of his constituency,...
HARDY RIDES UNITY MESSAGE TO VICTORY Running with the campaign slogan "The man for all the people," Rickey Hardy always presented himself as a unifying figure throughout his bid for the...
LOUISIANA'S $12 BILLION DAY What began last Thursday at noon with an overwhelming Congressional override of President Bush's veto of the Water Resources Development Bill releasing $7 billion worth of...
HOUSE PASSES AID FOR CAJUNDOME The U.S. House of Representatives passed by voice vote last week a bill that would make the Cajundome eligible for approximately $2.3 million in federal aid for its use...
ODOM CALLS IT QUITS Never again will Louisiana voters be forced to listen to a Bob Odom jingle ' or so it seems. At 72, the longtime agriculture commissioner last week bowed out of the Nov. 17 runoff...
THE INDEPENDENT'S ELECTION GUIDE Check out our special Oct. 20 pull-out Election Guide in this week's edition for our constitutional amendment recommendations, maps of local voting districts and a...
JINDAL BREAKS WITH REPUBLICANS ON SCHIP In a rare split with his party's leadership, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal is siding with Democrats, and Gov. Kathleen Blanco, in an ongoing...
WRDA WRANGLING EXPECTED The long-awaited Water Resources Development Act of 2007 passed the U.S. Senate on Monday by a vote of 81-12, but President Bush is expected to veto the bill. U.S. Sen. Mary...
BOUSTANY STANDS BEHIND LEBLANC AMID TEXAS PRISON SCANDAL U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany is standing behind embattled fellow Republican Pat LeBlanc, a candidate for the Louisiana House of Representatives....
THE ADVOCATE: 'JINDAL DOES DISSERVICE' In a recent editorial, The Advocate took gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal to task for "embarrassing himself and doing voters a disservice by repeatedly...
JINDAL FINDS AN ENEMY TO RUN AGAINST With no incumbent running for re-election, U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, a Kenner Republican, was at a slight disadvantage coming out of the gate in his gubernatorial...
LEBLANCS DEFEND COMPANY TIED TO TEXAS SCANDAL A Lafayette company headed by brothers Michael and Patrick Leblanc has turned up in the middle of a public corruption investigation centered on the Bexar...
CRAIG ROMERO EYEING IBERIA PARISH PRESIDENT RACE Sources close to term-limited Republican state Sen. Craig Romero confirm that he is exploring a run for Iberia Parish president. Romero met with some...
BOASSO HITS JINDAL ON IRAQ Gubernatorial candidate Walter Boasso believes the low national support for both President Bush and the Iraq War is also a factor in Louisiana. In his latest campaign ad,...
Ieyoub Eyeing a Party Switch? ichard Ieyoub once reigned as one of the golden boys of Louisiana politics. He holds the record for votes secured in a state election with his landslide victory as...
Gun for Hire Political consultant Roy Fletcher calls Baton Rouge home, but his gun-for-hire business has taken him to campaign trails across the country. Like James Carville, his former cohort at the...
Legislative Theater This was originally designed to be a fiscal-only session, and the annual gathering would have been contentious if lawmakers had limited their discussions exclusively to the budget....
Sinners and Saints While most governors yearn for the moniker of fiscal conservative, Gov. Kathleen Blanco is destined for recognition as the biggest spender in the history of Louisiana. Her new...
Remembering Hainkel and Bean The deaths of Sen. John Hainkel of New Orleans and former Sen. Ron Bean of Shreveport came just four days apart this month. Hainkel was a legislative giant, uniquely...
Catholic Shift The tenure of Pope John Paul II was marked by cataclysmic changes on the world scene in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The wall in Berlin came tumbling down, and the Russians...
The Price of Perks Legislative Fiscal Officer Johnny Rombach has been forced out of the job he's held for 17 years. His departure came after it was revealed Rombach rewarded himself with a retroactive...
The Class of '87 When Secretary of State Fox McKeithen fell in his home on Feb. 17 and cracked two vertebrae and suffered spinal cord damage, it was a horrific blow for an indestructible politician....
Landrieu Seeing Red Mary Loretta Landrieu has few rivals for resiliency on the political stage. She has weathered two bitterly fought campaigns to win a pair of terms in one of the most exclusive...
Fortune 500 CEO leads state's Democrats Jim Bernhard is a multi-millionaire executive running the multi-billion dollar leviathan The Shaw Group, but he's still restless. He exudes the drive and...