Republican former U.S. Rep. Joseph Cao has officially gotten into the attorney general’s race, hoping to unseat GOP incumbent Buddy Caldwell. Cao served one term in Congress, representing the New Orleans area, before losing the seat to Democrat Cedric Richmond last fall. Caldwell has been attorney general for one term, recently switching to the Republican Party. It had been unclear if Cao would run for attorney general, because he had also expressed interest in being appointed state superintendent of education.
Two challengers to Ag Commissioner Mike Strain have also signed up: Belinda “B” Alexandrenko, a Reform Party member who has run for governor three times, and Jamie LaBranche, a Democrat who is an arborist in LaPlace. This leaves two statewide elected officials without opposition: Treasurer John Kennedy and Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. Gov. Bobby Jindal has seven opponents. New Orleans multimillionaire John Georges decided against challenging Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal. He announced this afternoon he wouldn’t enter the race through a Facebook post. Georges, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully against Jindal four years ago, when Jindal won his first term; at the time, Georges wasn’t affiliated with a political party. Qualifying ends at 5 p.m. today. For a list of all candidates in selected Capital Region races, click here. For a link to qualifiers from all across the state, click here.
