Raymond Crews ran away with the special election for the House District 8 seat in the Louisiana Legislature on Saturday.
He defeated opponent Robbie Gatti by a 64 to 36% margin. Voter turnout was only 20.7%. Crews had 3,845 votes to 2,150 for Gatti.
Crews will fill out the remainder of the term of former state Rep. Mike Johnson, who was elected to Congress. The term runs through 2019.
Only 5,995 voters out of 28,989 in this Bossier House District went to the polls. Of the 28,989 registered voters, 75.8% are white, 18.9% are black, and 5.2% are other races.
By party affiliation, 48.6% are Republicans, 26.5% are Democrats, and 25% are Other Party/No Party.
Crews had finished first in the primary on March 25 with 41% of the vote. Gatti was second with 37%, followed by Duke Lowrie with 16% and Patrick Harrington with 6%. The turnout in the primary was only 18%. All of the candidates are Republicans.
Through April 9, Louisiana Ethics Commission reports show that Gatti outspent Crews. Gatti had total expenditures of $110,710 while Crews had spent $70,386. The reports did not include expenditures made between April 9 and election day.
But, in the end, Crews had the backing of elected officials, such as Johnson and U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, state Attorney General Jeff Landry, the Bossier Republican Party, and LABI. Those endorsements – and the money that comes with them – was too much for Gatti to overcome.
State Treasurer’s race
The race to replace John Kennedy as state Treasurer will be the only statewide race on the ballot on October 14. Kennedy is now the junior U.S. senator from Louisiana.
The treasurer oversees the state’s bank accounts and chairs and sets the agenda for the state Bond Commission. The Commission oversees all government borrowing, a function which will attract donors.
So far, there seems to be four candidates for the job. They are – in alphabetical order – Angele Davis, president and CEO of the Davis Kelley Group; state Sen. Neil Riser; state Rep. John Schroder; and state Rep. Julie Stokes. All four are Republicans.
Davis is the only one who does not hold an elective office. However, she served as deputy commissioner of administration for Gov. Mike Foster, was secretary of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism under Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, and commissioner of administration during the first two years of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s tenure.
Here are reports filed with the Louisiana Ethics Commission which includes activity from January 1 through April 7:
Angele Davis of Baton Rouge
Funds on Hand as of Jan. 1, 2017 – $0.
Total Receipts – $263,662.
Total Expenditures – $26.877.
Funds on Hand as of April 7, 2017 – $254,448.
Davis has received $1,000 from PACs.
Sen. Neil Riser of Columbia
Funds on Hand as of Jan. 1, 2017 – $20,193.
Total Receipts – $171,339.
Total Expenditures – $36,631.
Funds on Hand as of April 7, 2017 – $155,901.
Riser has received $13,750 from PACs.
Rep. John Schroder of Covington
Funds on Hand as of Jan. 1, 2017 – $500,758.
Total Receipts – $191,261.
Total Expenditures – $76,147.
Funds on Hand as of April 7, 2017 – $609,622.
Schroder has received $14,250 from PACs.
Rep. Julie Stokes of Kenner
Funds on Hand as of Jan. 1, 2017 – $0.
Total Receipts – $575,508 of which $250,000 was a personal loan to her committee.
Total Expenditures – $39,1124.
Funds on Hand as of April 7, 2017 – $533,634.
Stokes has received $17,000 from PACs.
Lou Gehrig Burnett is a seasoned veteran of national and local politics. He publishes Fax-Net Update, a weekly political newsletter.
