Gov. Kathleen Blanco, whose popularity plummeted after two hurricanes devastated Louisiana during her first term, will not seek re-election, according to a letter written by Blanco and obtained by The Associated Press.
"Today, I am announcing that, after much thought and prayer, I have decided not to seek re-election as your governor," Blanco said in the letter, which was provided by a source in the Democratic Party on condition of anonymity.
Elected Louisiana's first female governor in 2003, Blanco, a Democrat from the state's Cajun country, had already drawn a half-dozen challengers for this fall's election - including popular Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, whom she defeated the last time with 52 percent of the vote. Former U.S. Sen. John Breaux, a popular Democrat, has said he will decide soon whether to enter the race.
With Blanco out and John Breaux presumably announcing his candidacy within the next few days, at the very least, Louisiana Democrats are buying an extra inning to hold on to the state. At best, Breaux's entry will be exactly what's needed to throw a monkey wrench in hard-right Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal's longtime gubernatorial ambitions. Expect a lot of mud to be hurled at Breaux about how he's "gone Washington" and lived out of state for a couple of years. It won't be easy, but I think we can all agree that Breaux's chances, even with one hand tied behind his back due to his residency issues, are a heck of a lot better than those of a damaged Kathleen Blanco.
And another note: whomever ends up as the Democratic nominee in the Kentucky gubernatorial race should be grateful that major Republican resources will have to be split with at least one other state during the 2007 elections.
