When State Senator Cleo Fields and State Rep. Charlie Lancaster huddled together over a year ago to recreate the closed primary system for Federal elections in Louisiana, neither foresaw the odd impact that the change would ultimately have on our congressional elections.
Publicly, both men expressed a desire to end the December runoff period that put new members in the US House and Senate a month after their colleagues, putting Louisiana at the bottom of the proverbial totem poll in seniority and staffing.The legal change did create a November general election.It complied with federal statutes requiring all elections for Congress to be on the same day, but the two legislators aimed for something else.
In Fields' and Lancaster's plan, the closed primaries that preceded it would allow for more ideological and electable candidates to be face one another in the general election.Fields wanted to use the higher African-American voting strength in a closed primary to create Black Democratic nominees, and Lancaster hoped that closed primaries would nominate strong conservatives but avoid the politically polarizing types that could not win election.
Both desires failed, as the recent Sixth Congressional District race demonstrated.
White Centrist Democrat Don Cazayoux won his primary to face more polarizing social conservative Woody Jenkins.Cazayoux beat African-American Democrat Rep. Michael Jackson in the primary and Jenkins in the general.The election cost the GOP a seat that had been in Republican hands for almost three decades, the third Congressional loss the party endured in the last three months.
Part of the reason for Jenkins' defeat came, though, through the unexpected consequence of the new "first past the post" general elections, independent candidates.The more than 2700 votes that Republican-turned-Independent Ashley Casey won likely denied Jenkins a seat in Congress.Unlike other states, where it is very difficult for a credible Independent candidate to get on the ballot, in Louisiana, it requires only a few hundred dollars.No signatures or elaborate forms are mandated.
In the wake of the 6th District race, a new reality has dawned on the political class of Louisiana.Why face a bruising primary when you can garner all of your resources for a general election?Run once, and you need not win a majority; just win the most number of votes, a plurality.
The impact of this realization was felt the week of the general election, as State Rep. Michael Jackson ran television commercials telling voters that he would be again on the Congressional ballot in November.He plans to campaign as an "Independent Democrat" on the same day that Barack Obama campaigns for President taking advantage of the huge Black turnout.
Having watched national Democrats unite behind Don Cazayoux even before he was the official Democratic nominee deeply angered Jackson.Any residual loyalty to the party was lost, and the Black Democratic leader decided that his best shot at office would be on the first Tuesday in November.
Of course, dividing even a small percentage of African-Americans from the Democratic turnout this fall could send a Republican to Washington from the 6th District.That matters little to Jackson.He wants to win, and November is his best shot.
Independents promise to revolutionize Federal General Elections for years to come.In New Orleans' Second Congressional District, former WDSU newscaster Helena Morano has flirted with a challenge to indicted incumbent Bill Jefferson.However rather than run in an African-American dominated primary, Morano has reportedly leaned towards running as an Independent Democrat in the general election.
With the growing Hispanic vote in the Orleans Parish dominated district, she would have a very legitimate chance.As would a Republican.In this very Democratic district, if a moderate Hispanic and a liberal African-American divided the Democratic vote, a moderate Republican could slip through.
Tidmore- you gotta get off your soapbox about independents making an impact on the election. I don't disagree that Jackson could seriously hurt Cazayoux, but you're still stuck on Ashley Casey. All your talk and she still got only 4%. What makes you think that 85% of those that voted for her would have still come out and voted for Woody Jenkins? There's little real evidence to back up your spurious claim that Casey cost Jenkins the election.
And a moderate Republican winning in New Orleans?!?! First of all, there are no moderate Republicans in Louisiana. Why would a moderate choose to be a Republican when the Democratic Party in Louisiana is almost slightly right-of-center and the Republican Party takes its marching orders from the holy trinity of God, George Bush, and Bobby Jindal? Come on. Didn't 2006 teach you anything? Joe Lavigne ran a credible campaign and he still only got barely over 10% The Republican money in New Orleans lines up behind the "best" Democrat and most rank-and-file Republicans follow suit. They have long since given up on a Republican winning a congressional seat in NOLA... maybe you should too. Written by clairvoyant
on 5/15/2008
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Amazing how someone like Michael Jackson will risk cutting off his own nose to spite his face. Written by Dan
on 5/15/2008
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Well Tony G...... Go hit them again........ Sooner or later you will probably succeed. Written by
on 5/15/2008
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Independent candidates may not have an expectation of winning, but their impact will cause the major parties to change - change their rhetoric if nothing else. The “big tent” always favors some constituencies over another - often taking the less favored groups for granted. I believe it is both healthy and good long-term that independent candidates run and cause the two major parties concern. Part of the dismissal of independent candidates from supporters of either of the two major political parties is concern over splitting their supporters votes, however sometimes I think it is also arrogance in the way they assume this two party system is entrenched forever. I for one certainly hope this is not the case; we need “change” all right – change from the dominance of our two party system. The Republican Party dismisses Ron Paul's supporters and their call for fiscal constitutional conservatism, the Democratic Party panders to then largely forgets about their black supporters - we need change all right, it just may be beginning to take place, none too soon for me. Written by kpf
on 5/15/2008
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I agree with David Quidd that the likelihood of an independent being elected is mostly a pipedream. However, the potential for them to do damage to the party candidates is enormous. One has only to look at what Ralph Nader being on the ballot did to Al Gore in Florida. If not for that mischief, Gore would be President. That is not a partisan comment, only an example of what an independent or third-party candidate can do to an otherwise normal race between the nominees of the two major parties. And, to be honest, independent candidacies are all about ego or idiology, not about the realistic expectation of winning. Written by CL
on 5/15/2008
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Running as an independent is very difficult. They can't use the term "Independent Democrat" on the ballot. Barack Obama will be running in a coordinated campaign with the Democratic nominees for Congress. Obama will want Democrats elected to support his agenda in Congress. Written by David Quidd
on 5/15/2008
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