1012 Corridor

Looks can be deceiving, especially this early on in the fundraising process.

Candidates for the 3rd Congressional District have collectively raised roughly $395,000, according to federal campaign finance reports that were released last week.

But it’s just the beginning.

The lead contenders will eventually spend more than that if the 2004 race – the last time the 3rd Congressional District was wide open – is any indication.

That’s when six candidates raised a record-setting $5 million to compete for the south Louisiana seat, held previously for decades by former Congressman Billy Tauzin, a Republican from Chackbay who started his public career as a Democrat.

Incumbent Congressman Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, is vacating the 3rd Congressional District after holding it for three terms. He will be challenging the incumbency of U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, this fall.

Already there are familiar names from the 2004 race lining up to replace Melancon, like state Rep. Damon Baldone, D-Houma.

While Baldone said he’s likely to join the fray, he has not yet filed a campaign finance report for the current election cycle - but he did raise more than $257,000 for the 2004 contest, of which $145,000 was self-financed.

Then there’s New Iberia attorney Jeff Landry, the Republican responsible for managing the 2004 campaign of former state Sen. Craig Romero, who went on to oppose Melancon in 2006, too.

Although Landry’s fourth quarter 2009 report doesn’t show an overabundance of spending, he has retained the services of Washington, D.C., consultant Brent Littlefield, a well-known talking head on MSNBC who likewise worked on Romero’s campaigns previously for Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Landry raised more money during the final quarter of 2009 than any other candidate -- $96,000 -- and he did it in a shorter amount of time: just three weeks.

Most notably, he locked down $1,000 from shipyard magnet Boysie Bollinger of Lockport and $2,400 from construction tycoon Lane Grigsby of Baton Rouge, which are two names that generate confidence amongst the state’s top GOP donors.

State Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, invested $2,400 in Landry’s bid, but energy-related companies, not elected officials, seem to be Landry’s bread and butter.

For example, employees of the Lafayette-based Moreno Group poured $14,400 into his campaign last month alone.

Landry’s campaign now has $115,000 in the bank, which includes $21,000 of the candidate’s personal money.

Surpassing Landry’s cash on hand, though, is Democrat Ravi Sangisetty of Houma, who raised $67,000 last quarter as a true political novice and now has about $224,000 in his campaign kitty, of which $100,000 is a personal loan.

Sangisetty, an attorney, was also the only candidate to raise money – more than $84,000 – during the third quarter of 2009.

His bid could very well mirror the south Louisiana Democratic archetype.

Trial lawyers dot his donor list, like Michael X. St. Martin of Houma, who gave $2,400, and Donald T. Carmouche of Gonzales, who forked over $1,000.

Moreover, Sangisetty has hired as consultants Lynncal Bering and C. David Wilburn, who both cut their teeth as operatives with the stateDemocratic Party. He’s even building new contacts within the party, as evidenced by a $500 donation to the Legislative Black Caucus Fund.

Oil field manager Kristian Magar, another Republican from New Iberia, kept pace with his opponents by self-financing about $20,000 and now has roughly $21,000 in the bank to launch his campaign. He had no local donations.

The biggest surprise from the district filings may be the figures reported by state Rep. Nickie Monica, R-LaPlace.

Even before Melancon announced he would vacate his seat to take on Vitter, Monica was on the stump; just a year ago, he was the only declared candidate and was reportedly being courted by national Republicans.

But according to his campaign finance account, Monica has raised only $150 -- and it came from his own pockets.

Louisiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Hunt Downer, a Republican from Houma and former speaker of the state House, said he is “seriously considering” the race.

State Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle of Breaux Bridge, a Democrat expected to flip GOP, is another potential late entry.