Democrats might face a historically unfriendly environment for future elections in Louisiana, one of a handful of states to trend more Republican in 2008, but the beleaguered party can still claim at least one advantage — football.  The LSU football team has had a better winning record under the watch of Democratic governors than Republican governors, counting all seasons dating back to 1893. Including Saturday’s win against Arkansas, the team’s overall record is 709 wins, 386 losses and 47 ties — a winning record of .641.  Separated by Democratic governorships and Republican governorships in the past, the Tigers have a .646 winning record under Democrats and a .612 winning record under Republicans.  Wins acquired in transition years were awarded to governors serving in office during that year’s season.  “I believe it’s true that not only do the Tigers play better under a Democratic governor, but they also tend to gain more yardage when running to the left side of the field,” said Bob Mann, political communications professor and former communications director for former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco.Mann, reveling in the opportunity to compliment his party, then suggested LSU consider changing its mascot from a tiger to a donkey.Future Democratic candidates shouldn’t get too excited, though. Republican detractors can point to several seemingly unfair Democratic advantages — first and foremost that Democrats squatted in the governor’s mansion uninterrupted from 1893 to 1980.  David Treen’s ascension to the governor’s office in March 1980 was the Republican Party’s first gubernatorial victory since the Reconstruction era, breaking the Democrats’ long-held grasp.  Second, critics can point to former Gov. Buddy Roemer, who switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican in the middle of his term, robbing the GOP of two crucial football seasons.  Third, Democratic detractors might just credit bad luck for the losses — current Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal has two seasons falling shy of a BCS bowl, including the current one, under his belt. The 2007 BCS National Championship was awarded to Blanco, because she was in office during that season.  John Lombardi, LSU System president and sports history     professor, also has some bad news for Democrats. “These programs are much bigger than any one person,” Lombardi said. “You look at all the big [college football programs], and they all have a machine out there supporting them.”
Governors are merely cogs in that machine, able to provide the support necessary to see a team succeed.  “What happens in big sports programs is they will rise and fall on a complicated combination of events,” Lombardi said. “They rise and fall in cycles.” Former Tigers coach Paul Dietzel — famous for heading the 1958 National Championship team — recalled Earl Long, three-time Democratic governor and brother of the even more famous Huey P. Long.  “Uncle Earl was, shall we say, a little unusual,” Dietzel said. “Earl was very active, but he wasn’t particularly interested in football. He wasn’t like Huey.”Unfortunately for Democrats, Lombardi said governors are not determining factors — especially because it’s in politicians’ best interests in both parties to support the state’s flagship football team.  “What would be remarkable is if you found a governor who tried to do away with a [football] program,” Lombardi said.—-Contact Nate Monroe at [email protected]