Election season continues in LA-02

Most of the politicians running for office in 2006 have folded up their circus tents, but the residents of hurricane-ravaged New Orleans will have to endure a final round of voting to determine their House Representative. In a race with 13 candidates, incumbent William Jefferson (D) only received 30% of the vote, forcing a run-off.

Jefferson was ranked as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). He had been the subject of a criminal investigation since May 2005, and the findings of the investigation were damning:

The 83-page search warrant affidavit released on May 21, 2006, described Rep. Jefferson as a man who solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, discussed payoffs with African officials, had a history of involvement in numerous bribery schemes and used his family to hide his interest in high-tech business ventures he promoted in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria.

The icing on the cake appears to be when, during an August 2005 raid on Rep. Jefferson’s home, FBI agents found $90,000 in cash in $10,000 increments wrapped in foil in the Congressman’s freezer.

Jefferson denies the charges; as he declared on election night:

"I can look you in the eye and tell you that I am innocent of any allegation, any unproven allegations, and that's all they are unproven allegations," Jefferson told supporters at his election night rally as it became clear he would face a runoff.

But a groupof leading Democratic bloggers, including Daily Kos, MyDD, and the Swing State Project, aren't convinced, and are mobilizing to raise $10,000 for Jefferson's challenger, Democrat Karen Carter. Blogger DavidNYC lays out their rationale:

This race matters because we need to send a strong message, a message that the Democratic Party won't tolerate corruption on either side of the aisle. Come January, we're finally going to take back the House. But before we do, we need to clean house first. [...]

Carter is a strong candidate - she took 22% in a crowded field, despite getting a very late start and facing a long-time, well-known incumbent who outraised her by more than two-to-one. One sign of her strength is that in a surprise move before the election, the Louisiana Democratic Party endorsed her over Jefferson, marking the first time in memory that the state party failed to endorse an incumbent.

What are Carter's chances? The Baton Rouge Advocate notes that it's a war between two South Louisiana political machines; the question is which will win out:

The race will pit a wise political veteran who also has 10 years of state Senate experience against a dynamic young challenger who has made her own mark in the Legislature since being elected seven years ago.

The battle, though, also will be between two of the strongest political clubs in New Orleans. Carter, 36, came out of the Central City-based Black Organization for Leadership Development while Jefferson, 59, leads the Progressive Democrats, a group he founded and runs with a 9th Ward and Central City base.

“The election makes Jefferson the underdog,” said T. Wayne Parent, chairman of the LSU political science department. “But he has a history of pulling his people together.”