BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana voters have a range of choices on Saturday, with closed-primary elections for Congress and open primaries for state Supreme Court and the Legislature, plus local races for judges, mayors, district attorneys and more.
Nationwide, eyes are on two of the state’s congressional primaries, especially U.S. Rep. William Jefferson’s challenge from six fellow Democrats in his re-election bid in the New Orleans-area 2nd Congressional District.
But the political class is just as interested in the primary on the other side of the state, as candidates from both parties fight among themselves in the race for control of the seat held by U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, a Shreveport Republican who is retiring from Congress after 20 years in office. Both major parties believe they can win. Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat and Republicans aim to hold on to one when the general election rolls around.
“That is an opportunity for the Democrats to retake a seat that’s been held by the Republicans for a long, long time,” Baton Rouge pollster Bernie Pinsonat said. “When you’re looking at the numbers in the United States Congress, that race has a lot of significance.”
Four Democrats and three Republicans are running to replace McCrery in closed-party primaries.
Secretary of State Jay Dardenne estimated that statewide voter turnout will be between 35 percent and 40 percent.
Those numbers could be boosted in some areas by high-profile local races. Mayor Kip Holden is running for re-election in Baton Rouge, and district attorney races in Caddo, East Baton Rouge, Orleans and other parishes have drawn plenty of voter interest.
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, D-Elm Grove, is running for re-election against Jim Crowley, a Shreveport independent, for the seat representing north Louisiana on the utility regulating board. Four candidates are running for another PSC seat, to represent 12 southeast Louisiana parishes.
Open primaries are set for two Supreme Court seats, including Justice Kitty Kimball’s re-election try against Jeff Hughes, a Republican state appellate judge from Walker. A victory for Kimball would make the Democrat the court’s chief justice, though the race has drawn little attention.
“People are snoozing, but this is the Supreme Court. It’s an important race,” Pinsonat said.
Two Republicans and a Democrat are running in another Supreme Court election, to replace Chief Justice Pascal Calogero, a Democrat who’s been on the court since 1972.
Also on ballots will be a state House race to replace U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads, and a state Senate race to replace U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson.
In other congressional primaries:
—U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, is expected to win re-election in the 5th District against little-known Andrew Clack, R-Rayville. Alexander drew no other challengers from other parties.
—Democrats Jim Harlan of Lacombe and Vinny Mendoza of Ponchatoula face off in the 1st District, which covers much of suburban New Orleans. The seat is held by Scalise, who took office earlier this year after a special election to replace Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Congressional runoffs, to be held Nov. 4, are expected in the 2nd and 4th districts. General elections will be Dec. 6, when independents and candidates from other parties will also be on the ballot.
When necessary, state runoff elections will be Nov. 4.
——Contact The Daily Reveille news staff at [email protected]