Cassidy Makes Senate Run Official; Landry Won’t Stop Rumors

Appearing in Baton Rouge, Metairie, and the North Shore yesterday and starting today with breakfast in Lafayette with my friends Ken Romero and Bernadette Lee on KPEL 96.5fm, Congressman Bill Cassidy (R-Baton Rouge) is confirming to Louisiana what has been rumored for months: he will run against Senator Mary Landrieu (D-New Orleans) in 2014.

Cassidy, spurred on by recent polls which show some potential kinks in Landrieu’s re-election bid, believes this is an opportunity for Louisiana and the Country.

A poll released this week by SMOR showed that only 37% of those surveyed would “definitely” vote for Landrieu while 34% would “definitely” vote for someone else.

Calling the 2014 race “A historic election”, Cassidy believes that, if he wins, it could help lead to a Republican majority in the Senate and, possibly, the repeal of ObamaCare.

In a video announcing his candidacy, Cassidy said, "As a family, we have decided that I will run for the United States Senate in the election held November 2014 and it's going to be a tough race. I'm running against Sen. Mary Landrieu who's been there for 18 years and against the most powerful man in the world, Barack Obama."

Cassidy and his wife Laura are both Doctors. Both blasted Senator Landrieu and President Obama over their support of the Affordable Health Care Act (ObamaCare) and it’s impact on increasing health care costs.

According to Mrs. Cassidy, ObamaCare "is raising the cost of health insurance, making it difficult for workers to insure their families."

Here’s a link to the entire campaign announcement video.

Cassidy is a former registered Democrat who has contributed to the political campaigns of former Governor Kathleen Blanco and the woman that he wants to replace, Senator Landrieu.

While Cassidy is the first Republican to officially announce, he surely will not be the last. Fellow Congressman John Fleming (R-Minden), Chas Roemer current BESE Board Chairman and son of former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, and Governor Bobby Jindal have also been rumored to be interested in Landrieu’s seat. Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne has already announced that he will seek the Governorship instead of Landrieu’s Senate seat.

“I haven’t ruled anything out,” Fleming said. “The polling I’ve done has made it clear that a conservative Republican can defeat Mary Landrieu. So, whether it’s Bill or I, the critical issue is that Louisianians have a distinct choice.”

And, there may be others.

Former Congressman Jeff Landry (R-Acadiana), a favorite of Tea Party members, continues to dodge questions about his possible interest in Landrieu’s seat.

In a post on RollCall.com, Landry said he will make an announcement next week. He wouldn’t elaborate saying, “I never like to let people open their presents until Christmas Day.”