After Republican Bill Cassidy announced he would challenge Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu for her office later this year, a handful of hopeful politicos began scrambling for his 6th District seat in the House of Representatives.
The first of the contenders to announce was 28-year-old University alum Republican Paul Dietzel II, who announced his candidacy in May 2013 and quickly gained esteem for his impressive fundraising operation.
Dietzel’s official “2014 Campaign Kickoff” in January debuted his endorsement by former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain.
Several other competitors to Dietzel slowly began to emerge, including well-known Republican State Sen. Dan Claitor.
Claitor, who officially announced his candidacy in December, presented the first real challenge to Dietzel in the conservative 6th District.
Before March 17, there were at least eight Republican contenders with only one Democrat.
However, on St. Patrick’s Day, one of Louisiana’s most infamous politicians significantly altered the otherwise ultra-conservative race.
Edwin Edwards, former Democratic governor and convicted felon, announced his candidacy and attracted a storm of national media attention to the fight for Louisiana’s 6th District, posing a worthy Democratic challenger to the cluttered Republican field.
Despite Dietzel’s financial dominance in the race, campaign contributions reported for the first few months of the year brought Republican candidate Garret Graves into the limelight.
Graves, the former chair of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, reported raising $312,000 in on-hand spending money, while Dietzel only reported having $70,000 on-hand.
As the race progresses, the possibility remains that Louisiana’s next representative could be either the youngest serving member of Congress or a convicted felon already infamous in the realm of national politics.

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Dan Claitor