The year in Louisiana politics that was 2015 will be remembered for many things, says Jeremy Alford, but the words that came out of the mouths of the state’s political players and pundits offer a road map to the most memorable.
“Few political events were as remarkable as the matchup between Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards and U.S. Sen. David Vitter,” Alford writes in his latest column. “State Treasurer John Kennedy was a lead surrogate for Vitter in the governor’s race, noting, ‘We need a cross between Socrates and Dirty Harry.’ But based on how voters reacted, they clearly preferred a cross between Jimmy Stewart’s Jeff Smith and a Blue Dog Democrat.”
Kennedy also made this prediction: “Anyone who really thinks that this race will be decided by 20 points is smoking medicinal marijuana.”
“The treasurer was sort of right on this one,” writes Alford. “it was actually Edwards over Vitter by 12 points. Given the monumental budget challenges facing the governor-elect, Kennedy did hit the nail on the head when he said, ‘If I were the new governor, I’d start stocking up on Scotch.’”
Alford says that Vitter was an almost mythical candidate heading into this election cycle, as underscored by an assessment from Bradley Beychok, the president of Media Matters, who suggested to Politico, “This is Godzilla. To slay Godzilla, you got to go directly at him. You can’t slay a dragon by chopping at his feet.”
But once the shine came off of Vitter and the poll numbers turned against him, Alford notes, The Cook Political Report’s Charlie Cook penned a partial eulogy in National Journal. “A potted plant running as a Republican would probably win a gubernatorial runoff in Louisiana,” Cook wrote, “but Vitter might not.”
Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne observed during this election cycle that “an honest politician is not a contradiction in terms in Louisiana politics.” After he lost out in the gubernatorial primary and subsequently crossed party lines to endorse Edwards in the runoff, Dardenne was appointed as the next commissioner of administration by Edwards shortly after his election.
“It was in digital newsprint before Edwards could even make the announcement,” Alford writes of Dardenne’s appointment, “bringing to mind LSU Manship Journalism Chair Bob Mann’s offering of political reality. ‘In Baton Rouge, a secret means you only tell five people,’ he tweeted after the runoff was decided.”
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.
