Hopefuls eye second run

• By SARAH CHACKO
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: May 28, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

The two top Republican candidates from the spring election for the 6th U.S. Congressional District seat are considering another go at it this fall.

Meanwhile, another potential GOP contender withdrew his name from consideration Tuesday.

Former state Rep. Woody Jenkins and health industry consultant Laurinda Calongne, the two Republicans who made it to the second closed primary election for the 6th District seat in April, indicated Tuesday that they are strongly considering another run.

Jenkins won the April runoff against Calongne. But Jenkins lost to Don Cazayoux, a Democratic state representative from New Roads, in the general election on May 3.

Cazayoux is serving the end of the two-year term left by former U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, who resigned. The upcoming election cycle — with party primaries in September and October, if needed, and a general election in November — would be for a full two-year term.

Chas Roemer, member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the son of former Gov. Buddy Roemer, said he had considered running but announced Tuesday that he would not.

“It really just came down to a family decision,” Roemer said. “It was a matter of time and where I wanted to spend most of my time.”

Roemer said he has a young family — a 5-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter, and a wife of 10 years — and most of their family is in Baton Rouge. He said he expected to run a good campaign and would have had a good chance of winning.

“But at the end of the day its who do I want to be and what do I want do,” he said.

Roemer said he felt that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, called BESE, is the best place for him to work on an issue that is closest to his heart — education.

“To truly effect change in our state, BESE is a better place to be than in Congress,” he said.

Jenkins said in a phone interview Tuesday Roemer’s decision to bow out is a factor in his own consideration to run. Jenkins said he wants to make sure there is a strong conservative candidate on the Republican ticket.

“I am close to making a decision, and that decision will probably be to run,” Jenkins said in an e-mail Tuesday.