December 15, 2003
Exit Stage Center
Macher of the Middleground John Breaux's retirement paves the way for a competitive race in Louisiana next year. It's not clear from early reports whether Breaux intends to finish his term or not; he may resign and let Kathleen Blanco (who will be swown in next month) appoint a Democrat, probably Rep. Chris John, to finish his term. Either way, John is expected to run; he'll likely face Republican Rep. David Vitter. There's been speculation about Bobby Jindal entering the race; we'll see if there's anything to that.
This won't be a slam dunk for the Republicans by any means. Bush is very popular in Lousiana, but his coattails shouldn't be overstated; thanks to the open-primary system, Bayou Staters have little party loyalty, and as we've seen the past two years, toss-ups in Lousiana still tend to break to the Democrats.