State Representative Don Cazayoux, who many had assumed would be Speaker of the House before Governor-elect Bobby Jindal threw his support behind Republican Jim Tucker, announced his intentions to run for the Congressional seat currently occupied by Richard Baker. From the Baton Rouge Advocate:
At an afternoon news conference, Cazayoux said he has been weighing a run for quite some time. “The more we talked to people, the greater their interest was in having a change” from Baker, said Cazayoux.
Cazayoux, 43, said 6th District voters are tired of Washington “partisan politics” and want an independent voice. He said his career in the Legislature demonstrates that he is that type of person as he’s worked to build coalitions on ethics law changes and teacher pay raises.
A former assistant district attorney, Cazayoux is entering his third term in the Louisiana House. He is a leader in the House Democratic Legislative Caucus and has been a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees the state’s budget and spending.
As a congressman, Cazayoux said his goals would include investments in education, creation of better jobs, making sure families can afford quality health insurance and to “change the direction in Iraq to bring the troops home responsibly and with honor.”
Baker recently indicated that he may be retiring from Congress in order to become CEO of a large hedge fund corporation. Cazayoux says he is running regardless of Baker’s decision.
Baker, who was first elected in 1987 (after switching from Democrat to Republican; incidentally, Baker defeated former Alexandria Mayor Ned Randolph in the 1992 primary and then edged out a 2,700 vote victory over Clyde Holloway), has voted with the Republican party 91.9%. Many recall Baker’s controversial statement in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: “We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did.”
Baker is a real estate broker who is currently ranked as the 217th most powerful Congressman and the 29th most powerful Republican.
At stake is Congressional District 6, which includes the City of Baton Rouge, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. Helena, Livingston, Iberville, and West Baton Rouge parishes as well as parts of Pointe Coupee (Cazayoux’s home parish) and Ascension.
Cazayoux, who was first elected in 1999, earned his law degree from Georgetown University. He has served on the following committees:
Administration of Criminal Justice
Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development
Appropriations
Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget
House Special Committee on Cellular Technologies
House Special Committee on Disaster Planning – Steering Subcommittee
House Special Committee on Disaster Planning, Crisis Management, Recovery & Long-Term Revitalization
For more, visit Cazayoux’s profile page here.
CenLamar 