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The Louisiana
Republican Party hopes to become a major factor in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. On
Tuesday January 22, 2008, the state party will convene caucuses at 11 different sites across the state. Voters will be able to cast ballots from
5 p.m. to
8 p.m.
that evening. The ballot will consist of candidates running for
delegate and alternate delegate position. At each of the caucus sites,
15 delegates and 15 alternates will be selected to participate in the
Louisiana Republican Convention set for February 16 at the Old State
Capitol in
Baton Rouge. At the state convention, the 47 actual delegates to the 2008 national convention in
Minneapolis
will be chosen. All of the delegates elected to the national convention
will be officially “uncommitted” and not pledged to any candidate. The
only exception to this situation will occur if a candidate receives a
majority of the vote in the February 9 presidential primary. If that
happens, then 20 of the state’s national convention delegates will be
pledged to the candidate who wins the primary.
According to Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere of
Metairie,
“We’re excited about the upcoming caucuses. I believe this system will
allow Louisiana Republicans to have a strong impact on the election of
the next President of the
United States.”
Iowa kicked off the presidential race with caucuses on January 3.
New Hampshire will follow with their primary on January 8. One week later, on January 15,
Michigan will hold their primary.
South Carolina will hold the first Southern primary on January 19. Then the
Louisiana
caucuses will be held three days later. By setting a January 22 caucus
date, the Louisiana Republican Party will insert itself into the early
portion of the presidential race. The
Louisiana caucuses will be held one week before the
Florida primary on January 29 and well before the Super Tuesday primaries on February 5. With 20 states, including
New York and
California, participating in the Super Tuesday election, it is very possible that the party nominee will be clear by that date.
Without the early caucuses,
Louisiana would be an afterthought in the presidential race, since our primary is scheduled for February 9, which is late in the process. The
early timing will force the major candidates to at least spend some
time in the state prior to the caucuses. In recent weeks, Fred
Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain visited the state
for campaign events.
At
least some of the major candidates have significant endorsements from
state leaders. GOP Congressmen Jim McCrery, Richard Baker and Rodney
Alexander have all endorsed Mitt Romney. Congressman Charles Boustany
and U.S. Senator David Vitter are supporting Rudy Giuliani, while
former New Orleans Councilman Bryan Wagner and former Governor Buddy
Roemer are backing John McCain. Mike Huckabee’s state campaign is being
organized by party activist and fundraiser Sally Nungesser of
Baton
Rouge.
Fred Thompson is backed by GOP activist Ross Little of Lafayette and
former Elections Commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell. Governor elect
Jindal has not made an endorsement in the presidential race.
While
the Republicans have opted for an early caucus and will surely capture
some of the attention from GOP presidential candidates, Democratic
voters in
Louisiana will
have to wait until the primary on February 9 to cast a ballot in the
election. As a result, it is unlikely the leading Democratic candidates
for President will spend any significant time in
Louisiana during the early weeks of their heated
nomination fight. |
