Alford: Waiting On Labor Day

You ain’t nobody in Louisiana politics until somebody works for you, LaPolitics’ Jeremy Alford says in his latest column.

“There are plenty of people being hired by the five major candidates for secretary of state right now. It’s the only statewide election on the fall ballot, so presumably that’s where the money will show up,” he writes. “All of the top contenders already have campaign managers or general consultants, and a few even have media consultants lined up as well.”

But don’t geek out too hard about the forthcoming attack ads, Alford adds. If political tradition holds, the unofficial start of the 2018 election season this year will be Sept. 3, which is also Labor Day.

“That’s no coincidence,” Alford writes. “For many moons consultants, candidates and reporters have pointed to Labor Day as the launching point for media buys, key messaging and hardcore election maneuvering.”

That hasn’t always been the case, though, and recent years have seen campaigns unrolling critical operations long before September. If donor fatigue becomes an issue, as it did in recent election cycles, the action may come sooner rather than later, Alford writes.
Donor fatigue was an issue during last year’s special election for treasurer—particularly following costly U.S. Senate elections in 2014 and 2016, and an expensive gubernatorial showdown sandwiched in between them in 2015. The 2014 and 2015 marquee races shattered all previous fundraising records for those particular seats.

“Money and interest, or a lack thereof, certainly didn’t hold back Louisiana’s congressional races this year,” Alford writes. “Every incumbent seeking re-election drew opposition from challengers who want to unseat them. More importantly, in political-speak, donors big and small have thus far contributed $9.7 million to the candidates and political action committees targeting the Bayou State’s six congressional districts.”

The incumbents look safe for the most part, as we discussed previously in this space. But we’ll have to wait until Labor Day to see how aggressive the Beltway boys want to be with their spending. Unless one of them wants to buck tradition and get a jumpstart.

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.