Washington Watch for Aug. 3

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Washington bureau
• Published: Aug 3, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Now that qualifying has ended and the latest Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports are in, the fields are set for Louisiana congressional races. The new view shows that the state is going to be one of the most active in the nation when it comes to competitive races.

“The level of attention from national parties for Louisiana congressional races is at a high-water mark,” said David Wasserman, editor for the U.S. House of Representatives for The Cook Political Report in Washington.

The battle for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District seat seems like it never ended. U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads, won the special election on May 3 but has had to continue fundraising to prepare for challengers in the Nov. 4 election.

Cazayoux replaced former U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, who stepped down in February to become the leader of a national hedge fund association. After a bitter fight to get the seat, Cazayoux will have a difficult time holding onto it, possibly reducing his service in Congress to a mere six months.

Republicans have recruited a formidable opponent in state Sen. Bill Cassidy, who was in Washington last week for a fundraiser. But Cazayoux’s real problem will be the independent bid of state Rep. Michael Jackson of Baton Rouge. The black Baton Rougean could divert enough of the Democrat vote to crown Cassidy and hand the district back to Republicans, who held it for more than 30 years.

Cazayoux handily defeated Jackson in the April Democratic primary, in which Jackson showed anemic fundraising, collecting only $51,000 for the campaign. Black voters make up 36 percent of the electorate in the district and Jackson would likely need 100 percent of that vote to win. Black turnout, however, should be boosted by the Democratic presidential bid of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

But Cazayoux showed that he could get out the black vote, running strong in the special election in districts friendly to Jackson. Cazayoux has called Jackson a friend, but as the old saying goes, “With friends like that … ”

The other key battleground House race will be in Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District. The fight to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, R-Shreveport, has drawn four major candidates, including three Republicans.

Longtime Caddo Parish District Attorney Paul Carmouche, viewed as the leading Democrat, will have a three-fold advantage in the race:

Second, half of district voters are Democrats, despite McCrery winning easily over the past 20 years.

Third, Carmouche can hold back in spending money while the three Republicans tear each other up in the primary. The Republicans have contributed about $1 million collectively to their own campaigns.

The GOP slate includes Dr. John Fleming of Minden, trucking company owner Chris Gorman and former Bossier City Chamber of Commerce president Jeff Thompson. Thompson loaned his campaign $50,000, a pittance compared to his opponents, and has been endorsed by McCrery.