Hurricane puts La. primaries on hold

ST. PAUL — Hurricane Gustav is disrupting the GOP convention and a hotly contested Republican primary in Louisiana.

GOP candidates hoping to succeed retiring Rep. Jim McCrery (R) have suspended their campaigns, and their primary, set for Sept. 6, may be postponed because of the storm.

{mosads}State officials are drafting contingency plans for potentially delaying the election one week, to Sept. 13, or further if necessary.

Jacques Berry, a spokesman for the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office, said in a telephone interview that setting the date any later than the 13th would cause the state to also move the primary runoff, which is set for Oct. 4.

The Democratic primary for the New Orleans seat held by indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D) would also be affected.  

The two main factors affecting that decision will be whether people have repopulated their home areas and whether voting machines are secured and undamaged. The final decision rests with Gov. Bobby Jindal (R).

“We’ve got to go through everywhere and allow people to go back and check on the voting machines,” Berry said. “But all that takes a back seat to the lives and the property, so there may be some more waiting even after the storms are through.”

Candidates were putting aside campaigning and assisting with the relief effort in varying ways.

Physician John Fleming, a Republican running for McCrery’s seat, said he was traveling around offering medical services at shelters for displaced residents. As the owner of several Subway restaurants, he was also providing them with food.

He was hopeful that the state wouldn’t have to postpone the primary. McCrery’s district, located in the northwest part of the state, didn’t appear set for the worst of the storm.

“We don’t know what impact it’s going to have on the actual campaign,” Fleming said. “Basically, we have no further plans for the campaign all the way up until Election Day.”

Fleming’s two opponents have also suspended their campaigns, as has the Democratic favorite in that race, Caddo Parish District Attorney Paul Carmouche.

Republican businessman Jeff Thompson was helping set up the same business recovery center he set up after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, while the third GOPer in the race, businessman Chris Gorman, had his staff helping with a food and water drive in the Shreveport area.

Fleming, Thompson and Gorman have all raised significant money for their campaign and face what is likely to be an intense stretch run.

Jefferson, who needed a general-election runoff win to hold his seat in 2006, will again face a crowded field. It includes Byron Lee, a Jefferson Parish councilman who stayed in his council office Monday so he could quickly assess the storm and assist constituents.

Depending upon what his job requires in the coming days, he’s not sure he’ll be able to return to the campaign trail.

“My first obligation is to the people I represent on the Jefferson Parish Council,” Lee said. “I don’t believe people will be looking to me for leadership in terms of the congressional race. It’s a tough one but I’ve got to swallow it.”

State Rep. Cedric Richmond, former New Orleans City Councilman Troy Carter and New Orleans City Councilman James Carter are also running in the primary.

Two incumbents facing potentially difficult general-election challenges — Reps. Don Cazayoux (D) and Charles Boustany Jr. (R) — were both taking care of congressional duties.

Cazayoux was heading back early from a trip to Afghanistan and had just landed in Shreveport by early Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman said. Getting to his Baton Rouge district proved challenging, though.

Boustany was in his district office in Lafayette and had hopeful words for the situation.

“The preparation that went into this has been outstanding this time, and the evacuation of the coastal areas has gone really well,” he said. “All the gaps we had in the past I think were taken care of.”

Boustany’s opponent, state Sen. Don Cravins Jr., is a reserve police officer in Opelousas, La., and was activated Sunday night. A campaign spokesman said that job meant the candidate was right in the path of the storm.