| The only announced Democratic candidate in LA-03, Ravi Sangisetty, released his fundraising numbers:
| Candidate |
Money Raised |
Money Spent |
Debts |
Cash on Hand |
| Ravi Sanisetty (D) |
$250,000 + |
~ $25,000 |
n/a |
$225,000 |
A first time candidate raising $250,000 is mighty impressive, especially in this state, where far too many Democrats struggle to raise any money at all for their campaigns.
And if there are any Democrats still mulling whether to get in the race or not, I think Mr. Sanisetty's fundraising haul has made the decision for them, as any candidate would be hard-pressed to raise the money it would take to win a Democratic primary against him at this late date.
There are no fundraising #'s being reported as of yet by presumed Republican front-runner Nickie Monica, but I'd be surprised if he doesn't have a sizable warchest at this point, particularly since he's been fundraising since July. There are two other Republicans running - a New Iberian by the name of Kristian Magar, and Jeff Landry, who lost to State Senator Troy Hebert in 2007, reported that he raised over $96,000 in December, and lent his own campaign $20,000 to have approximately $115,000 in the bank. I'd love to see a GOP primary drain the survivor's bank accounts, but we'll see.
Now, on to the rumors ... I've been hearing folks whisper about the Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle running for this seat since August. The only problem is that he doesn't know which party he wants to run in, as he was a Democrat back when he served as St. Martin's Parish President and I believe is still a registered Democrat, but as The Houma Today informed us back in August:
When asked this week if he had been approached by state or national Republican Party officials about making the switch, Angelle said no.
"I haven't been contacted by the Republicans or the Democrats or the Libertarians or Greenpeace or any kind of organized political group," he said, laughing. "No."
In a follow-up query by e-mail, he was also asked if he would even consider making the leap.
"Several longtime friends have suggested it over the years and again more recently," Angelle replied. "It is something that I would consider, like (former President) Ronald Reagan, (former Gov.) Mike Foster and (former U.S. Congressman) Billy Tauzin."
And for all those Democrats out there who think Mr. Angelle would be a great candidate to have, y'all should know that he spent his New Year's weekend down in Cameron Parish hosting a fundraiser for none other than Governor PBJ.
Working for a Republican Governor is one thing, but hosting a fundraiser for one? That ain't the mark of a Democrat, y'all. |
