The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 2007 was held on October 20, 2007. The filing deadline for candidates was September 6, 2007. On October 20, all 12 candidates competed in an open jungle primary. With all precincts reporting Bobby Jindal won the election with 54%. ^[1] is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... In the jungle primary, all candidates run in the same initial election regardless of party label. ... Bobby Jindal (born Piyush Jindal June 10, 1971, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a Louisiana politician. ...

Background

Elections in Louisiana, with the exception of U.S. presidential elections (and congressional races beginning in 2008), follow a variation of the open primary system called the jungle primary. Candidates of any and all parties are listed on one ballot; voters need not limit themselves to the candidates of one party. Unless one candidate takes more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a run-off election is then held between the top two candidates, who may in fact be members of the same party. This scenario occurred in the 7th District congressional race in 1996, when Democrats Chris John and Hunter Lundy made the runoff for the open seat, and in 1999, when Republicans Suzanne Haik Terrell and Woody Jenkins made the runoff for Commissioner of Elections. An Open Primary is a type of direct primary open to voters regardless of their party affiliation. ... In the jungle primary, all candidates run in the same initial election regardless of party label. ... For the Indonesian Boxer see Chris John (boxer) Christopher Charles Chris John (born January 5, 1960), American politician, was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2005, representing the Seventh District of Louisiana (the southwestern or Cajun part of the state). ... Suzanne Haik Terrell is a politician in Louisiana. ... Louis E. Woody Jenkins is a Louisiana State lawmaker. ...

Candidates

Democratic

• Walter Boasso - Elected to the State Senate in 2003, representing St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish. He is also president and CEO of Boasso America Corp., a network of shipping container facilities, and has served on the Port of New Orleans Board of Commissioners. He has received a reputation as a conservative, pro-business legislator. After Hurricane Katrina, Boasso achieved prominence as one for the state’s leading advocates for consolidation and reform of the state’s Levee Boards. He switched to the Democratic Party on April 26, 2007.

• Foster Campbell - Louisiana Public Service Commissioner for District 5, 2002-Present; St. Senator, 1976-2002. Campbell is a cattle farmer and owner of an insurance agency from Bossier Parish. As a state senator and as a Public Service Commissioner, Campbell pushed to regulate and lower utility rates. A centerpiece of his populist campaign is a proposal to tax foreign oil refined in Louisiana and use the proceeds to eliminate personal income tax. Although, he doesn't have the money to spread his message across the state, making him a small threat to other candidates.

• Vinny Mendoza - Kenner resident. Veteran of the Korean War and has run for many state offices.

• Hardy Parkerson - Lake Charles attorney. He is running as a self-described “Ronald Reagan Conservative Democratic Family Forum Christian-Coalition States' Rights candidate.”

• Mary Volentine Smith - Retired Hairdresser from Winnsboro. If elected she will release former Governor Edwin Edwards.

Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... St. ... Plaquemines Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2005. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Foster L. Campbell, Jr. ... Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) is an independent regulatory agency serving the public of Louisiana by managing its public utilities and motor carriers. ... Bossier Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Kenner is a suburb of New Orleans that has a population of 70,517 (census 2000). ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders... Lake Charles is a city located in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,757. ... Winnsboro is a city located in Franklin Parish, Louisiana. ... Edwin Washington Edwards (born August 7, 1927) served as the Democratic governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972 - 1980, 1984 - 1988, and 1992 - 1996), twice as many terms as any other Louisiana governor ever served. ...

Republicans

• Bobby Jindal - A U.S. Congressman representing Louisiana's First Congressional District. Jindal previously served as Louisiana's Secretary of Health and Hospitals from 1996 to 1998 and President of the University of Louisiana System from 1999 to 2001, and was appointed by President George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation from 2001 to 2003. Jindal ran against Kathleen Blanco for governor in 2003, and was narrowly defeated, having received 48% of the vote. Jindal currently has raised $5.1 million - putting him second in the campaign finance arena as of the April reporting period.

Bobby Jindal (born Piyush Jindal June 10, 1971, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a Louisiana politician. ... Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... The 1st Louisiana Congressional District seat is mostly comprised of land on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, although it also contains some of the South Shore. ... The University of Louisiana System is one of four public University systems in Louisiana. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Libertarian

• T. Lee Horne, III - real estate salesman from Franklin

T. Lee Horne, III is running as the Libertarian candidate in the 2007 Louisiana gubernatorial race. ... Franklin is a small city located in St. ...

Independent

• Belinda Alexandrenko - Lafayette resident who previously ran for Governor in 1995 & 1999. In 1999, she recieved 0.69% of the vote and did not run in 2003.

• Sheldon Forest - Maurice resident.

• Anthony "Tony G" Gentile - oil refinery supervisor from Mandeville

• John Georges - Georges is a wealthy New Orleans businessman with investments in gaming and grocery businesses.

• Jim Nichols - Donaldsonville resident who previously ran for Governor in 1995.

: Hub City : The Heart of Cajun Country United States Louisiana Lafayette 47. ... Maurice is a village located in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. ... Mandeville is a city in St. ... John Georges is a candidate in the 2007 Louisiana gubernatorial election. ... The city of Donaldsonville is the parish seat of Ascension Parish in the US state of Louisiana, and is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. ...

Campaign

Blanco's faltering popularity

Originally planning to run for re-election, the incumbent governor, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, entered the election year with a significant erosion in her level of popular support, due in large part to perceptions of inadequate performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In November 2006, Blanco had an approval rating of 39%, and she encountered further political setbacks since November. Categories: Stub | 1942 births | Governors of Louisiana ... This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2005. ...

In December 2006, Blanco called a special session of the Louisiana State Legislature which she intended to use to dispense $2.1 billion worth of tax cuts, teacher raises, road projects and other spending programs. Legislators allied with Blanco attempted to lift a spending cap imposed by the state constitution, but Republican lawmakers defeated Blanco’s spending measures. The high-profile defeat further eroded Blanco’s political reputation. ^[2]

By late 2006 and early 2007, Blanco was facing increasingly heated accusations of delays and incompetence in administering the Road Home Program, a state-run program which Blanco had set up following Katrina in order to distribute federal aid money to Katrina victims for damage to their homes. By January 2007, fewer than 250 of an estimated 100,000 applicants had received payments from the program, and many of the payments were apparently based on assessments which grossly undervalued the cost of damage to homes. ^[3]

By January 2007, the first opinion polls of the campaign showed Blanco trailing expected opponent Bobby Jindal by over 20 percentage points. Facing an upcoming re-election campaign with greatly reduced popularity, Blanco began her campaign by making repeated public criticisms of the administration of President George W. Bush in January 2007. Noting that Bush neglected to mention Gulf Coast reconstruction in his 2007 State of the Union Address, Blanco called for a bipartisan Congressional investigation into the conduct of the Bush administration following Katrina, to determine whether partisan politics played a role in the slow response to the storm. ^[4] This call followed comments by disgraced former FEMA director Michael D. Brown, who claimed that the White House had planned to upstage Blanco by federalizing the National Guard in the days following the storm. Blanco also repeated accusations that Mississippi received preferential treatment because its governor, Haley Barbour, is a Republican. ^[5] George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... George W. Bush during the speech, with Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi behind him. ... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. ... Michael Brownie Brown For other people of the same name, see Michael Brown (disambiguation). ... Haley Reeves Barbour (born October 22, 1947) is the current Republican governor of Mississippi. ...

Democrats drop/decline

Beginning in February 2007, speculation grew among Louisiana political commentators that former U.S. Senator and current Washington, D.C. lobbyist John Breaux would announce his candidacy.^[6][7][8] However, controversy emerged as to whether Breaux would meet the residency requirements to run for Governor as he has listed his primary address in Maryland since 2005 and is registered to vote there. ^[9] The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to ensure that an individuals or organizations point of view is represented in the government. ... John Berlinger Breaux (last name pronounced BRO) was a United States senator from Louisiana from 1987 until 2005. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N  - Longitude 75° 03′ W to 79° 29...

On March 20, 2007, Blanco announced that she would not be running for re-election. She stated that removing herself from the campaign would allow her to focus the remainder of her term on Louisiana’s recovery without the distraction of campaigning for re-election. But her announcement came after weeks of growing calls from members of the Louisiana Democratic party for her to step aside and allow a more popular candidate to face Jindal. ^[10] is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

On March 29, John Breaux made his first Louisiana public appearance since speculation began concerning his potential candidacy. Breaux said that he intended to run, and would announce his candidacy as soon as Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, a Democrat, gave a formal legal opinion on whether Breaux was eligible to run. At issue was the clause in the Louisiana constitution which states that a candidate for governor must be a 'citizen' of the State of Louisiana; what constitutes a citizen is not defined.^[11] The state Republican party began running advertisements attacking Breaux as a resident of Maryland. A.G. Charles C. Foti Charles C. Foti is the current Attorney General of the state of Louisiana, United States, serving since 2004. ...

On April 13, Breaux released a statement that he would not be running for governor. Attorney General Foti had declined to issue an opinion on Breaux's eligibility, stating it was an issue for the courts to decide. Breaux stated that he did not want the issue of eligibility to overshadow his campaign, as a court challenge would not occur until September. Breaux's announcement increases the likelihood that one or more high-profile Democrats might enter the race. ^[12]

On April 17th, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu also declined to run leaving the field very open on the Democratic side.^[13] Due to the lack of a high-profile Democratic candidate, party leaders approached Republican State Senator Walter Boasso about switching parties;^[14] Boasso formally switched to the Democratic Party on April 26.^[15] This article or section needs additional references or sources. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

Republican fundraising efforts

As of the April 2007 reports, two Republican candidates have emerged with the largest campaign warchests in Louisiana history - Georges with $5.5 million cash on hand and Jindal who has received $5 million in campaign financing. The financial strength of the two Republicans presented a tremendous challenge to recruiting a strong candidate for the Democratic party. Georges, however, has since left the Louisiana GOP and registered as an independent for the gubernatorial race.^[16]

Democratic attack on Jindal's religious writings

An ad campaign by the Louisiana Democratic Party launched in late August, 2007 which attacked Bobby Jindal on the basis of supposed inflammatory remarks made about Protestantism. The ad was solely aired in the largely Protestant central and northern districts of the state. The ad drew attention to essays Jindal wrote over a decade ago discussing his Catholic faith and conversion. One such essay titled "How Catholicism Is Different - The Catholic Church Isn't Just Another Denomination" was published in 1996 in the New Oxford Review. ^[17]. Jindal said about the ad, "They're absolute lies. We're not talking about an exaggeration". A letter from the campaign went further to say "each claim made in the advertisement distorts Mr. Jindal's positions with false and grossly distorted statements." ^[18]

Opinion polling

Results

This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party created in 1971. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... Voters lining up outside a Baghdad polling station during the 2005 Iraqi election. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... Swing in a British political context is a single figure used as an indication of the scale of voter change in a single constituency. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Times-Picayune is the major daily U.S. newspaper serving New Orleans, Louisiana. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 2003 resulted in the election of Kathleen Babineaux Blanco as governor of Louisiana. ... Elections in Louisiana traditionally use a jungle primary, where all the candidates for an office run together in one election. ...

See also

• U.S. gubernatorial elections, 2007
• State of Louisiana
• Governors of Louisiana

Seats up for election. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This is a list of Governors of [[Louisiana== First French Era == Sauvole de la Villantry 1699-1701 Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville 1701-1713 Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac 1713-1716 Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville 1716-1717 Jean-Michel de Lepinay 1717-1718 Jean...

External links

• Louisiana Secretary of State

Campaign sites

Democratic

• Walter Boasso for Governor web site
• Foster Campbell for Governor web site
• Vinny Mendoza for Governor web site

Republican

• Bobby Jindal for Governor web site

Libertarian

• T. Lee Horne for Governor web site

Independent

• Anthony Gentile for Governor web site
• John Georges for Governor web site