The Joe Cunningham Show airs 3-4 p.m. every weekday on NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL. The daily show notes offer you a look into the topics of the day and the links to the top stories and Joe's own writings on the state of politics in Louisiana and around the country. Follow Joe on Twitter at @JoePCunningham and Like the Joe Cunningham Show on Facebook. You can also subscribe to the Joe Cunningham Show podcast on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or Amazon.
BREAKING: Legislative Auditor Is Investigating Lafayette Consolidated Government
The LAGOP Fires A Warning Shot
On Monday, the LAGOP and its chairman, Louis Gurvitch, signaled they will not be too happy if more Republicans jump into the Governor’s race. In particular, they called out Congressman Garrett Graves of Baton Rouge, who is rumored to be preparing to launch his campaign this week.
So where are we at this early stage of the race? Jeff Landry has declared, as have two other candidates each polling at about one percent. But the word on the street is that Congressman Garret Graves of Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District will declare for the race this week.
I will frankly admit that I like Garret Graves- he is just plain likable and he is an effective voice for conservatives in Congress. What’s more, I think he will go far in the House. Following in the footsteps of Steve Scalise and Mike Johnson, he almost certainly has a future in senior leadership. That’s why I believe he would be making a terrible mistake by leaving Congress for the governor’s mansion.
Gurvitch lists five reasons he thinks it would be a mistake.
Garret was just re-elected to Congress
Republicans only have a four-seat margin in this Congress
If Garret were to win the governor’s race, he would have to resign from Congress
If Garret does enter the governor’s race, he will start well behind Jeff Landry in popularity
The LAGOP has already united behind Jeff Landry, and donations are flooding in
2024 Hopefuls Are Waiting on DeSantis and Trump
In less than a year, the first debates for 2024 will start, and so far, the GOP has a field of one candidate - Donald Trump. Most expect Ron DeSantis to hop in, but he hasn’t yet. And because he hasn’t, the other hopefuls haven’t.
Of the other potential contenders, it appears former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will be one of the first out of the gate, according to the Axios piece. She is apparently "already staffing up her future presidential operation, with top advisers making plans to move to her home base of South Carolina," the report states.
Meanwhile, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, and Glenn Youngkin are all holding off. Youngkin, like DeSantis, has a critical legislative session on the horizon, and Pompeo is preparing for a nationwide book tour. Pence is not planning to make an announcement, with one adviser telling Axios that "it's in his interest to wait."
More here.
The New York Times Tried and Failed to Defend Affirmative Action
This New York Times article focuses very little on the application and acceptance process. It focuses on recruiting.
Many education experts say that such a decision could not only lead to changes in who is admitted, but also jeopardize long-established strategies that colleges have used to build diverse classes, including programs that are intended to reach specific racial and ethnic groups for scholarships, honors programs and recruitment.
But… there is no indication that the Supreme Court would write a decision so broad that recruitment is affected. The Supreme Court seemed very clear when the issue was brought before them. The conservative majority doesn’t seem to like the final decision being based on race rather than merit. At no point did anyone on the Supreme Court seem to suggest recruitment aimed at various different groups was problematic.
More here.
Headlines of the Day
Glenn Youngkin Responds Accordingly to Woke Critics After NoVA Public Schools ‘Equity’ Scheme Exposed (RedState)
Ex-top intel official Douglas Wise knew Hunter Biden laptop ‘had to be real’ but signed ‘disinfo’ letter anyway (New York Post)
China’s Population Falls, Heralding a Demographic Crisis (New York Times)
Biden Talked of Attending Black Church As a Teen, But Members Don’t Recall It (Washington Free Beacon)
More insurance companies pull out of Louisiana: ‘We are in a crisis’ (New York Post)