While everyone is interested in who will be a candidate for governor to succeed Bobby Jindal, columnist Jeremy Alford says the more important question may be who isn’t running.
“We won’t have a definitive answer until Sept. 10 at 4:30 p.m., when qualifying closes, which means we have another eight months to speculate, hedge bets and have a little fun until Louisiana’s political class starts twisting screws,” Alford writes in his latest column.
If there’s an outlier in the developing race, Alford says, it might come from a small sect in the statewide business community that wants a candidate with international chops.
“From exporting opportunities to new investors, some executives want a governor who can deftly focus on marketing Louisiana overseas. With few, if any, elected officials equipped to do so on day one, murmurs of a recruiting effort are being born,” Alford writes. “It’s nothing new. A candidate from the business community usually sprouts up in an open race for governor.”
Even though they’ve distanced themselves from the contest, Alford says the names of John Georges, the New Orleans entrepreneur who purchased The Advocate newspaper, and Jim Bernhard, former Shaw Group CEO, will continue to be whispered.
“The two Democrats could easily bankroll their own campaigns, but there’s nothing yet to suggest either are anxious to run,” he writes.
Just a few months ago, U.S. Sen. David Vitter seemed to be the candidate for big business, but Alford says his turnaround on Common Core put him at odds with the supportive stance of business and industry.
“That possibly opens a window for the other two announced Republicans—Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne is aligned with business on the issue and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle is preparing to announce his stance—but the business lobby is keeping its hole cards face down,” Alford writes. “On the other side of that policy fence, there is a small group of conservative state lawmakers on the hunt for an anti-Common Core candidate, and they’re not yet sold on Vitter’s sincerity.”
There also are a few potential wild card candidates that are considering a run, Alford says; among them are Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola Warden Burl Cain and Treasurer John Kennedy, both Republicans. Read the full column.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
