What Does This Mean for Jindal?
Written by Sam on March 20th, 2007
It comes as no shock to me whatsoever that Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco announced this afternoon that she will not seek reelection. Blanco was pretty much dead on arrival and she obviously has enough sense to realize this. The question is will this be better or worse for Bobby Jindal?
If he were to have faced Blanco next year in the gubernatorial race he no doubt would have thoroughly smoked her. With her now eliminated from the equation are his chances still as good? Former Democrat Senator John Breaux has been toying with the idea of running for governor and he is expected to make an announcement “soon”. Breaux is very popular in Louisiana and he wouldn’t make it an easy race for Jindal.
Simultaneous to this is the reelection of Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu next year. The conventional wisdom is that she is the most vulnerable Democrat Senator in 2008. Regardless of that, recent polls that I have seen show her losing to only one potential Republican candidate ….. Bobby Jindal ….. who has expressed no interest in that seat.
Should Jindal go for the better odds and try and take down Landrieu and possibly help win the GOP back the Senate majority or should he bank on Baton Rouge? Lots of things can still happen so it’s too hard to say, but it’s an interesting scenario.
20
PM
He wants the governors mansion not the senate seat. If walked away from this fights to go for the better odds in the senate my respect for him would go down a little. It would appear like he is just running for office to advance himself. Anyway thats how I see it. I think the bench in LA is a little deeper then just Jindal anyway.
21
AM
Who else is mentioned for the Senate race?
I think the best nominee would be Sean O’Keefe - former Defense Department official under Cheney, NASA administrator, and current LSU President.
21
PM
I have heard Rep. Richard Baker and Secretary of State Jay Dardenne mentioned as possible candidates.