Meanwhile, The Governor's Race: Show Notes, 10/25/22
Who's running? Plus, we're two weeks away from the midterms...
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Governor… Cassidy? Landry? Someone Else?
There has previously been speculation that Senator Bill Cassidy was looking at a run for Governor in 2023.
However, that speculation has shot up in recent days with political observers noting that the Senator has a fundraiser coming up in the state this week. Conservative pundit Scott McKay at The Hayride made note of it late last week.
Back in the spring Cassidy had a little media blitz, mostly driven by a couple of stories in the Advocate postulating him as a middle-of-the-road option voters might like. Then a couple of polls were done on the race showing minimal support for a Cassidy candidacy and that talk seemed to fall away.
But now it’s back and apparently it’s real.
If Cassidy gets in, he’ll have the ability to raise a good amount of money outside of Louisiana. That might make Nungesser unviable and send him back to running for re-election as Lt. Governor. Cassidy might have less of an effect on Schroder, who’s positioned to his right.
Jeremy Alford at LaPolitics Weekly in the past has pointed out that Cassidy's immediate political future in Washington might have too much allure for the Senator to ponder leaving the nation's capitol.
With so much speculation surrounding the possibility of U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy running for governor, politicos may have missed the fact that the Republican has managed to carve out some interesting possibilities in Washington as well. Given a few twists and turns, the next Congress may find Cassidy as the top Republican on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. There will soon be only two Republicans ahead of Cassidy in terms of seniority on the health committee — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Maine Sen. Susan Collins. However, Rand may choose to use his seniority on the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Collins is poised to advance on the Appropriations Committee. If everything happens that way, Cassidy could be in the position to lead the health committee as ranking member or chair.
In the only publicly available poll on the 2023 governor's race, released back in March, Cassidy's name did appear, but it was U.S. Senator John Kennedy who led the way. But Kennedy has not made any moves to run for the job, nor do most observers expect him to.
On The Democrats’ Side…
Jeremy Alford with La Politics Weekly included this tidbit last week.
Will Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson run for governor next year? Right now the answer seems to be a solid maybe. “I’m not ready to say it’s not true,” Wilson said in an interview last week.
A registered Democrat with a Ph.D. in public policy, Wilson was born and raised in New Orleans, but calls Lafayette home these days. Should he enter the race for governor, he would become the first declared Black candidate.
Aside from possibly having access to the political apparatus of Gov. John Bel Edwards, Wilson currently oversees a department that works with stakeholders, like contractors and engineers, who also happen to be among the state’s top donors.
Last week, Wilson appeared on the Jim Engster Show and was asked about the rumors that he wants to replace Edwards.
“Public service is an amazing thing,” Wilson said. “We’ll see what the future holds. Not making any promises or trying to create any speculation.”
Engster replied on the air, “More than a few people have told me Democrats’ best opportunity in this race is for Shawn Wilson to run, and we’ll see. Sounds like he is actually considering it.”
Wilson replied only with a laugh.
I think Gary Chambers has pretty much taken himself out of the running. Luke Mixon is everything the John Bel Edwards types could have wanted, but he’s got zero charisma, and those folks have finally realized they need to push for a black candidate or else the Gary Chambers-types of the world will take the party away from them.
Two Weeks To Go
There are two weeks left until election day. It feels like we’ve been talking about it for years, but at least it’s almost over. That said… it’s getting crazy.
The chairman of the DCCC is at risk. The Governors of New York, Oregon, and Michigan are at risk. And now, Republicans are jumping back into the New Hampshire Senate race. The polling looks absolutely wild and if it holds up, you’re looking at potentially a record-breaking night for Republicans.
Headlines Of The Day
Democrats, on Defense in Blue States, Brace for a Red Wave in the House (New York Times)
The big recession risk that no one is talking about (Politico)
University of Florida bans indoor protesters from upcoming Sasse vote (Politico)
That Wave Is Coming: More Races Just Moved Toward the GOP (RedState)
This Video Is 100% Proof That Katy Perry Is Actually A Robot (Barstool)