1012 Corridor

More politicos than usual from the Acadiana side of the 3rd Congressional District are taking an interest in the U.S. House seat and there a variety of reasons for their newfound fondness. For starters, it’s an open seat, since incumbent Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, will be challenging U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, in 2010. As a result, a number of ready candidates, possible contenders and general wannabes have been positioning themselves for months, knowing full well how rare it is to see an open congressional seat anywhere in Louisiana.

It’s a dance that normally begins with the power-brokers and elected officials in the Houma-Thibodaux area, where voters accounted for roughly 30 percent of the district’s electorate during the last contested election in 2006. Overall, however, the race drew a total of more than 136,000 voters and, since then, strong political winds have been blowing on the western side of the district in the vicinity of the Lafayette region.

The only announced candidate from Acadiana thus far is New Iberia businessmen Kristian Magar, a Republican, but he isn’t alone in his ambitions. Magar comes from a region that trends Republican, unlike the voters that live along the central coastline, who can swing for Democrats on practically any occasion. Nonetheless, Magar said in an interview last week that a need for a conservative voice was among the reasons he was urged to run, although he doesn't want to play the game of partisan politics. "For me, party politics don’t play a role in why I’m running," Magar says. "In fact, I hope voters in the district are getting past Republican and Democrat labels."

Also expected to enter the race, according to Louisiana Republican Party officials, is GOP attorney Jeff Landry, also of New Iberia. Iberia was the third-largest parish in terms of voter turnout in the district three years ago, with nearly 19,000 people showing up to the polls. And on the page, at least, it appears Magar and Landry will be competing for the same votes and resources from their home base.

As far as wild cards, it doesn’t get much better that state Natural Resources Scott Angelle of Breaux Bridge, who has said he might switch from Democrat to Republican to seek the seat. Aside from having close ties to Gov. Bobby Jindal, Angelle formerly served as parish president of St. Martin, which was the fourth-largest parish when it came to turnout three years ago with 12,770 voters. Also coming out of St. Martin Parish, state Rep. Fred Mills, D-Parks, has said he’s fielded calls from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the past.

It’s a far cry from previous district-wide elections in the 3rd, when candidates from the southern portion of the district traditionally flooded the starting gate. Dr. Pearson Cross, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said the lack of an onslaught of heavy-hitters from down the bayou may be one reason for all the interest from Acadiana. "This could be a geographic distribution of lack of ambition," he says. "You really have to wonder why we haven’t heard from any of the state senators in the district yet."

Cross said that redistricting could also be a major factor in who’s running and who’s not; after the 2010 U.S. Census, there’s no telling what could happen, he added. Because of post-Katrina population changes, the district is expected to either shift farther eastward into the New Orleans area, farther westward into southwestern Acadiana and/or a bit north, possibly into the Baton Rouge area. By most all accounts, Louisiana will likely lose one congressional district and the political odds-makers certainly seem to believe the 3rd Congressional District is on the chopping block. "There would probably be more interest all around in the open seat if it wasn’t largely thought to be falling victim to redistricting," Cross says. "That’s why this just doesn’t feel like a normal open seat."

From the hub of Terrebonne-Lafourche, the only announced candidate is Ravi Sangisetty, a Houma attorney, political newbie and lifelong Democrat. But Major General Hunt Downer of the Louisiana National Guard, a Houma native and former Republican speaker of the state House, is also considering the race. There’s also a bit of politics stirring on the eastern side of the district, where state Rep. Nickie Monica, R-Laplace, has been raising money for months and was initially courted by the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee. State Rep. Gary Smith, D-Norco, is also eyeing the contest.