After a brutally busy primary ballot, Secretary of State Tom Schedler is scaling back his expectations for the runoff, predicting a 40% turnout. In addition to the holiday season being in full swing, it’s a much smaller ballot, with only 201 races and 124 propositions compared to more than 2,400 races in November. While the primary saw a record number of candidates withdrawing from races—more than 130—there only have been four in the runoff so far. Another big change is the transition from a Tuesday election to a Saturday runoff, which means polls will open at 7 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. Approximately 10,000 voting machines will be delivered to 4,000 different precincts on Friday. Last month, media outlets from around the country, and some international outfits, joined the secretary of state during this most important delivery. But that has changed, possibly showing how much national interest has been lost. “At this point I only have one national media outlet saying they will be joining us,” says SOS press secretary Meg Casper. “ABC News.”
—There are only two races for district attorney across the state Saturday, and both are notable. In the 9th Judicial District, state Rep. Chris Hazel, R-Ball, heads into Saturday with the backing of former Rep. Chris Roy, who was pushed out of the primary. Phillip Terrell, a Democrat, has picked up some key endorsements as well, but has also become the target of attack ads sponsored by outside parties. Then there’s the 22nd Judicial District in St. Tammany-Washington, where embattled DA Walter Reed, under investigation by the feds, has left a vacant seat. Warren Montgomery and Brian Trainor have made the runoff, with Trainor leading the primary and holding a fundraising edge.
—The Louisiana Political Museum has announced that late LaPolitics founder John Maginnis will be included in the 2014 class of Louisiana Political Hall of Fame inductees. Induction activities will be held in Winnfield on Feb. 7 at the Louisiana Political Museum. Also in the class are former state Rep. Peppi Bruneau, Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, former state Rep. Juba Diez, state Rep. Noble Ellington and late Judge Corky Marvin. The annual “Political Family of Officeholders’ Award” will go to the Scott family.
They said it: “Not everyone wants to be a lawyer. Some people want to work for a living.” —Former Gov. Edwin Edwards, on higher education, during Tuesday’s 6th District debate against Republican challenger Garret Graves in Denham Springs
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.
