Claitor still interested in top job

State Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, may be the only lawmaker gunning for Senate president without an organized political action committee. It’s a fairly recent trend, one that points to the complexity of politics behind the rails. But it’s not a necessity. Claitor, for his part, says he’s “serious” about campaigning for the gavel and that he’s “making progress” without a PAC. It’s not required that a candidate for speaker of the House or Senate president have a PAC, but if money becomes a factor, it can help. Before PACs became all the rage, lawmakers would simply make maximum contributions from their own campaign finance accounts. PACs simply allow them to double down. As of February, Claitor had nearly $50,000 in his personal account with no record of donations to other lawmakers. That—plus the fact that Baton Rouge hasn’t had a Senate president since at least 1880—helps Claitor stand apart from the field in the upper chamber. There are three other lawmakers running for Senate president, and all have separate PACs: Sen. John Alario, R-Westwego; Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia; and Sen. Mike Walsworth, R-West Monroe. It’s the same story on the House side for the speaker’s race. Two local lawmakers are angling for that job: Reps. Hunter Greene and Erich Ponti, both Baton Rouge Republicans. Rep. Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, has likewise thrown his hat into the ring and formed a PAC. Despite all of the positioning, however, all of these leadership candidates still have to be re-elected by voters this fall. —Jeremy Alford