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Public service commissioner isn’t the sexiest job in terms of public profile, but there are only five such seats in the state, so when a vacancy occurs, Louisiana’s political world takes notice.
The race to succeed Republican Craig Greene, who chose not to stand for reelection amid skepticism (if not outright opposition) within his own party, has been fairly quiet so far. But that’s about to change.
Candidates are ramping up their fundraising and expect to begin advertising during the next week or so. This past Monday, candidates also participated in a forum hosted by the Baton Rouge Press Club.
Your contenders are Sen. Jean-Paul Coussan, who might raise and spend enough money to bury his competition; Nick Laborde, a political newbie who won’t have much money but might skate through the primary round nonetheless; and Julie Quinn, a former state senator who’s been out of elected politics for a touch.
The district includes East Feliciana, Lafayette, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, Terrebonne and West Feliciana parishes, along with portions of Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston, St. Martin and West Baton Rouge.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
