Howard Dean's "Register for Change" bus tour hit New Orleans at noon today (sadly for the chairman, sans air conditioning on the bus) and You Are There!

GF and I showed up about 11:45 and waited with the growing crowd at the Victory '08 HQ for the bus to arrive.

The next Daily Kos NOLA/Gulf Blogathon has been scheduled for Wed., June 18th and Thurs., June 19th. (Time slots to sign up for are below the fold.)

While, as with all previous blogathons, all in the DKos community are invited to publish diaries on anything having to do with New Orleans, Katrina, and Rita, and even a good rant will do, I wish to extend special invitations to all Front Pagers who would like to do so to post diaries presenting and defending their opinion that New Orleans and recovery from Katrina and Rita are not worthy of being covered on DKos' front page. More below the fold.

I am thrilled with the House voting NO to the Iraq War funding today.  I am thrilled with CA passing marriage legislation for gays today.  I am thrilled that MS and LA and IL picked up Dem seats recently.  I am disgusted with the crack-pot we have as commander-in-chief, his golf "sacrifice" and his fear-mongering, low political blow in Israel yesterday.  But I have a personal story to tell.  Campaign finance reform cannot come soon enough!  I have given myself almost 2 weeks post-election to let things settle.  ‘Tis time for me to record what I have learned in the political arena for 18 months.  I initially entered the congressional race for LA-01 because not enough was being done to help us recover from the broken levees fiasco and Hurricane Katrina.  15 months after the tragedy, the landscape looked hardly different than the day after the storm had passed.  Knowing my district needed a fighter who would not take no for an answer, I dove in head-first.  My district’s needs were paramount and I would defy even my own party if it stood in the way.  

Please do not hurt for me.  I am fine with my election loss last night and, in fact, am relieved to become a regular American mom, grammy and teacher again.  Many of you worked hard and I fully appreciate every single thing you did to spread the word.  I have made life-long friends among you.  

Louisiana special election results:

Sixth District

61% of Precincts Reporting

Don Cazayoux (D):          47% (28672)
Woody Jenkins (R):         49% (30039)

First District

55% of Precincts Reporting

Gilda Reed (D):                25% (5804)
Steve Scalise (R):            73% (17072)

As you probably know, the Sixth District race is expected to be close, and a possible Democratic pickup; the race has received a good deal of national attention over the past few weeks. The First District, on the other hand, is about as red as they come.

Update by kos: SSP has a handy results chart of the LA-06 April 5th runoff election, so you can get a good idea in which parishes Cazayoux should perform well:

Ascension and Livingston parishes are the GOP strongholds here. Iberville, St. Helena, and Pointe Coupee (where Cazayoux's home is located) are strong Democratic parishes in local and federal elections and Cazayoux should perform well here tonight. East and West Feliciana are historically Democratic, but have trended GOP in federal elections in recent years. Between the runoff performance and Cazayoux's small town profile, I feel optimistic about the Democratic chances in Feliciana tonight.

Update: With 6% in, there's been a break for Jenkins, as he has opened a nine-point lead (mostly from votes coming in from his stronghold in Livingston Parish). It's still very, very early.

Update #3: Nearly 30% of results in, and while it's early, things look good so far for the GOP. Jenkins has a six-point lead, and LA-01 is the GOP blowout everyone expected.

Update #4: 45% in in LA-06, and Jenkins leads by nine. Cazayoux is getting beaten badly in East Baton Rouge. He needs roughly 54% of the remaining vote to win, and that looks like a tall order.

Update #5: It ain't over! 60% in, Cazayoux is back to within 1500 votes.

Update #6: Cazayoux continues to inch upward. This is looking like a nailbiter again. We're going to start a new thread shortly.

Race tracker wiki: LA-01 LA-06

Hey, y'all.

I didn't see an open thread discussing the outcomes of the two special elections in Louisiana today, so I started one.

In case you've been living in a bubble, today LA-06 and LA-01 votes, with a very great shot at winning in LA-06.

I voted today for a candidate with a D behind there name, not the candidate I would have liked to have cast my vote but I did my duty as a citizen. My first choice in my district of course didn't qualify, but why should this election be any different. Seems that we lefties rarely enjoy the opportunity of having our candidate available when it comes time to make a statement, or express our true natures yet we still do what has to be done and show up to be counted. I voted for Dan Cazayoux in LA-06, he who was endorsed by the DCCC. The same DCCC which unltimately take the easiest route in their support, never taking a chance on truly progressive candidates like "Gilda Reed. Now Gilda was the candidte who I would liked to vote for today, alas I live approximately three miles as the crow flies in the neighboring district.

I know you might be tempted to take off today to slip into the city, park in my flower beds and walk over to the Fair Grounds to see Mooney, Henry Butler and Marcia Ball (she is long and tall, after all).

Don't.

Eighteen months ago Gilda Reed started her journey to lend voice to the unheard, to represent the people of Louisiana's 1st congressional district.  Fifteen months after Hurricane Katrina stormed through her district, fifteen months after the man-made damage of the Army Corps left the greater New Orleans area in shambles, fifteen months after we witnessed our citizens abandoned on rooftops, Gilda took a quantum leap forward and entered the political fray.

Gilda had a most fulfilling life as mother of seven, grandmother of soon-to-be fourteen, teacher of thousands at the University of New Orleans, friend to many, until her world was shattered by prior decades of sheer political negligence, until her world was ravaged by the decision to protect her family, her neighbors, her district as if they were cattle.

Now, the Special Election is but 2 days away.

Let us be the gentle wind at her back!

I should be sleeping, but sometimes you are just restless, you know?  So tonight llbear e-mailed me with an idea for the Gilda Reed campaign in LA-01 that set off an e-mail exchange culminating in a "reply all" answer from Gilda herself to the effect that she needs every warm body she can get her hands on.

More juicy details below the fold.

One of the greatest joys in the 2006 election, amid the triumph of capturing both the House and Senate, came with now Congressman Jerry McNerney's defeat of Richard Pombo in CA-11. Pombo was in real competition to be the worst member of Congress when it came to energy and environmental issues.  On the other hand, McNerney knows energy, clean energy

During his career in wind energy, McNerney's work contributed to saving the equivalent of approximately 30 million barrels of oil, or 8.3 million tons of carbon dioxide - the main greenhouse gas - as well as other harmful pollutants.

In 2008, across the country, we have the opportunity for similarly stark shifts from Energy Dumb to Energy Smart elected officials.  

On this 38th Earth Day, you (and I) can take action to help ensure that the 39th Earth Day will be better than today's by sending some $.01s toward Energy Smart/Earth-Friendly challengers across the country.

Alright. I've had it. You all are missing out on the opportunity to support a great grassroots candidate. You have the opportunity to help Katrina victims with a click and a signature. You have the opportunity to turn Louisiana Blue and elect a kick-ass Democrat to fight for us in Washington.

But a diary like this falls down the list.

I'm throwing down the gauntlet, Kossacks, and upping the ante. I'm declaring llbear's diary in support of Gilda Reed a free mojo diary. Get his diary up on the Rec List and help me hand out the mojo to everyone who supports a 50 State Strategy.

In 9 days Louisiana will hold Special Elections.  This is about 1 of them.  This is about regaining a Democratic Congressional Seat once held by the legendary Hale Boggs.  Following Hale’s death his wife Lindy inherited and was reelected to it.  To this day there are more registered Democrats than Republicans.  Since Katrina, there are even more.

This is Lousiana 01 – and that as wonky as I’m going to get.  YatPundit's 3 diaries answer all your questions.  Don’t ask me.  I read them and we have no time to repeat YatPundit’s work.  ‘Cause we’re on a mission.  This ought to put you in the right frame of mind:

This is what we think of when many of us think of Louisiana:

This is the result of generations of corrupt, incompetent, hypocritical politicians who routinely sell out their constituents for the benefit of their corporate benefactors.

This is the result of voters worrying more about gay marriage and abortion than the integrity of surrounding levees and the efficiency of their government officials.

And this is why the 50 State Strategy is so important. It is why we need to support progressive candidates who will fight for us. It's why We Need Reed!

For those of you have not had the pleasure, let me introduce you to Gilda:

With only weeks away from an election, there's another pressing campaign that needs our attention, Kossacks:

Gilda Reed- Louisiana First Congressional District Candidate

And while so many of us in this community ignore down-ticket races to focus on Clinton vs Obama, as Gilda Reed goes next May 03, so goes our efforts to build a 50 State Strategy that will win in November and elect more and better Democrats. As Louisiana 1976 and others continues to fight for Katrina victims to be heard with this month's Nola blogathon, there is one person who can speak for them in Louisiana, and for us, in Washington- Gilda Reed! And there is one person who can help her get there- John Edwards!

However, with Elizabeth and John branching off into other political ventures (Center for American Progess and The Colbert Report!), it's hard to get in touch with them. So please help me send a message to the Edwardses- We Need Reed!!!

Are you one of the "worried well"?  http://www.bestofneworleans.com/...  I know I am one of the "worried well".  I am fortunate enough to be able to get help and spend much time, money and energy researching medical and legal matters or in consultation with the mental health professionals and attorneys. But, even with my resources questions remain:  "What will the next day bring?  What about unexpected catastrophe?  Will all the energy invested in rebuilding be pulled out from under us?  What about the next disaster?"  

Our fightin' progressive Gilda Reed finally has a Republican opponent in Louisiana. In the primary last Saturday, State Senator Steve Scalise beat out Tim Burns for the Republican nomination. There are just weeks before the May 3rd special election to fill Bobby Jindal's vacant seat. I thought I'd let you know where Steve Scalise stands on the issues in hopes that it will scare the dollars out of your wallet! We also should be expecting quite a bit of nasty politicking by the Scalise Campaign. During the Republican primary a judge ordered the Scalise Campaign to pull an ad that was full of lies about his Republican opponent. It looks as though we're in for a tough race, and maybe a very unethical one considering the Scalese Campaign tactics.

Crossposted at EENR Blog

There are three more special elections for the U.S. House coming up in the next five weeks, on the heels of the two we enjoyed in early March (where Democrats Bill Foster and Andre Carson enjoyed impressive victories).

Next on the table is the race in Mississippi's 1st District (to fill the seat of now-Senator Roger Wicker,) which will be held on April 22. Both parties' nominees will be determined tomorrow via runoff elections tomorrow.

Subsequently, Louisiana's 1st and 6th Districts will hold special elections on May 3 (to fill the old seats of now-Governor Bobby Jindal in the 1st, and now-lobbyist Richard Baker in the 6th).

All three of these districts are generally solidly red territory. The most Democratic of the three is LA-06, and that is hardly blue territory (it is R+7 according to Cook PVI, and Bush swamped Kerry 59-40 there). Nevertheless, we have a legitimate shot at winning that race, and the potential for a somewhat competitive race in MS-01 as well.

LA-01 is one of the most strongly Republican districts in the nation. Cook ranks it as the 16th-most, in fact, as it sports an impressive PVI of R+18.5. Bush managed 71% of the vote in LA-01 against John Kerry, following up on his 67-31 victory over Gore in 2000.

Bobby Jindal won 88% of the vote in 2006, after winning 78% in 2004, and his predecessor David Vitter did just as well; Diaper Dave got 82% in 2002 and 80% in 2000.

Our candidate is Gilda Reed, a psychology professor and DKos diarist. She'll face off against the Republican winner of an April 5 runoff between State Sen. Steve Scalise and State Rep. Tim Burns, with Scalise being the favorite to win the nomination.

Reed's campaign has generated a good bit of excitement here, and while I don't want to be a wet blanket, I think this district is as close to invulnerable for the Republicans as you can get. That's not a criticism of Reed, who is running hard. It's just that it would take something north of a miracle for a Democrat to win here at this time.

The Baton Rouge-based LA-06, however, is nowhere near as strongly Republican, and the special-election race here has become a serious pickup opportunity for Democrats. As Kos noted on Friday, the Cook Political Report has moved their ranking of this race to "Tossup", which is surprising and impressive considering the district's Republican bent.

Our candidate will be determined in a runoff election on Saturday, April 5 (as will the Republican candidate). The Democratic runoff pits the frontrunner, State Rep. and conservative Democrat Don Cazayoux, against fellow State Rep. Michael Jackson.  The winner will presumably face off against Republican frontrunner Woody Jenkins, the 1996 candidate for U.S. Senate.

As evidenced by the Cook ranking, Cazayoux is given a pretty good shot at winning the race. I'd say a win here would still be an upset, but it's certainly plausible. This should be a fascinating race to follow over the next month.

The race in MS-01 is somewhere between the two Louisiana races; it isn't a top-tier race by any stretch, as LA-06 is, but I think we've got a slightly better shot here than in LA-01. It's a very tough district, R+10, but not quite forbidden territory. Tomorrow's runoff election pits Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers against State Rep. Steve Holland on the Democratic side, while Republicans Greg Davis and Glenn McCullough face off.

Both Childers and Holland have posted decent, if unspectacular, fundraising numbers. This race is a very long shot, but should be at least worth keeping an eye on.

With at least one top-tier race, and three races in all, it should be a highly interesting month.

Race tracker wiki: LA-01 LA-06 MS-01