When Democrats look at the 6th Congressional District and the increasingly complex re-election hopes of incumbent Congressman Don Cazayoux of New Roads, many can’t help but get a little queasy. Polls have shown leads for Bill Cassidy, a Republican state senator from Baton Rouge, possibly because of the inclusion of a third no-party candidate.
State Rep. Michael Jackson of Baton Rouge, who dropped his Democratic registration after he says party leaders shunned him, is competing for the same black voters that would likely go to Cazayoux. As for polling, Jackson has his own research that shows he can win under certain circumstances, thanks in large part to the voter excitement created by the Barack Obama presidential campaign. Jackson even has a special logo that pairs him with the Democratic nominee.
Obama is expected to turnout the black, Democratic base in record numbers this fall and Jackson says he is perfectly positioned to ride those coattails. In a recent campaign newsletter, supporters are told that Jackson, as a no-party candidate, could squeak by Cassidy and Cazayoux in the Nov. 4 election since only a plurality (one more vote than the closest contender) is needed to win.
In the 6th Congressional District, blacks account for 34.9% of the electorate, Republicans are 33% and white Democrats are 32%. “In the Democratic run-off for Congress in [the] April [special election], Michael Jackson received 90% of the African American votes and between 10% and 20% of support from white voters,” the newsletter states. “If we maintain these percentages, it will be more than enough to win this election—40% wins it!”—Jeremy Alford
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