Landry seen as underdog to Boustany

The 2012 general election for presidential and congressional races is 10 months away, but selection of party candidates is gearing up with official, implied and assumed contenders starting their campaigns even if they have not officially been announced.

One of the hottest primary battles expected in Louisiana is the anticipated face-off between Republican Congressmen Charles Boustany of Lafayette and Jeff Landry of New Iberia.

The two office holders are expected to meet one another on the ballot now that the Louisiana legislature redrew Landry’s current 3rd Congressional District into a new 3rd District that contains residences of both elected officials n and includes the 7th Congressional District that Boustany represents n while dropping Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, but keeping St. Mary of the Tri-parish region within the Dist. 3 designation.

“I think there are two things to consider [when comparing which candidate would have an election edge],” said political analyst Elliott Stonecipher. “You have to look at the relative percentage of the vote, which is Lafayette centric. I think that is a suggestion that if that is Boustany’s base he has the advantage. He likewise has the advantage in potential fundraising from traditional Republican Party sources in state and in Washington D.C.”

Landry on the other hand, according to Stonecipher, has presented himself as the conservative’s conservative and appeals strongly to voters outside traditional party loyalties. This has been demonstrated in his support among Tea Party participants.

“Jeff Landry has done a very, very good job of positioning himself as a conservative alternative to a mainstream Republican,” the political analyst added. “I haven’t seen any polling data. So, I don’t know if Jeff Landry believes there is a, ‘more conservative than Boustany,’ advantage in this new Dist. 3, but that is what he has staked out.”

Having completed more than half of his freshman term in Congress, Landry knew early that because of redistricting he would face a challenge from within his own party for shifted territory comprising Dist. 3 once the 2012 election year arrived.

Boustany has represented the now defunct 7th Congressional District since 2005 and built a solid presence in the House of Representatives during the past six years.

“I am absolutely running for re-election and am looking forward to serving my current district and the new parishes that will be picked up in the upcoming district,” Boustany told the Tri-Parish Times.

Landry would not specifically say if he does or does not intend to seek a second term, but members of his staff have indicated that as a certainty.

“I’ve not made any announcements,” Landry said when asked about a re-election bid. “The most I can tell you is if I believe sitting at home and not running for re-election will only give me a congressman who will give me the same frustrations that caused me to run for election, then I will certainly be running for re-election. If I think that I am not going to get the kind of conservative job-creating leadership out of the guy who will represent me, I certainly will be on the ballot.”

During 2011, according to govtrack.us, Boustany missed 31 of 948 roll call votes. Landry missed 44 of those same 948 votes in the House of Representatives.

Boustany sponsored or co-sponsored five bills during the past year. Of that number none were passed into law.

Landry sponsored or co-sponsored four bills, none of which made it to the president’s desk for signing.

Each man remains confident about what he has done in Congress and what he hopes to achieve.

“I’m optimistic about a bill I’ve been pushing,” Boustany said. “It’s called the RAMP Act.” The Realize America’s Maritime Promise Act was last seen in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on July 8, 2011, but the Congressman intends to get it moving in 2012.

As presented by Boustany, the RAMP Act could free up funds from a $1.6 billion a year maintenance fund for the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers to dredge in the Atchafalaya River.

As oversight chairman with the House Ways and Means Committee, Boustany has been battling the Obama Health Care Plan and views it as an “unsustainable entitlement.”

Among the bills Landry introduced during his initial year in office, was the Offshore Installation Emergency Evacuation Act, which would have improved safety conditions and requirements on offshore platforms. The last action on this bill came on April 22, 2011 when it was referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

During December 2011, Boustany and Landry shared identical voting patterns which included a “yes” to the extended payroll tax holiday on federally funded unemployment insurance.

They also agreed on voting “no” to providing specific instruction on job creation incentives.

The congressmen each offered support of tabling a motion that questioned privileges of House members, offered support in sending to conference the same jobs creation bill that they previously voted down, and ultimately voted “yes” to pass the job creations incentive that was then advanced to the Senate.

As for committee involvement, Boustany serves on the House Ways and Means Committee; is on the Human Resources Subcommittee; chairs the Oversight Subcommittee and is a member of the Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee.

Landry belongs to the House Committee on Natural Resources; Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources; Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs Subcommittee; House Committee on Small Business and is vice chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Neither Boustany nor Landry expects legislative efforts to progress very far in 2012 because, according to each incumbent, office holders will be focused on keeping their jobs.

“In an election year presidential politics will play a dominant role in all this,” Boustany said. “I believe Congress as a whole will do nothing,” Landry added.

Stonecipher confirmed that Boustany and Landry have many similarities in political intention and opinion, but that this race may become more a matter of presentation vs. available financial support in terms of swaying public favor. “The question therefore becomes, where are the people in that district who are not just mainstream moderate Republicans going?” he said.

“I’m assuming that Jeff is slicing and dicing polling data by more philosophical issues,” the political analyst added. “Then he will pattern his campaign in the direction of what he needs to win. That is always a very difficult thing to pull off.”

Landry contends that he has a job to do and will not let campaign talk or the thought of which parishes he would or would not represent if re-elected get in his way.

“I don’t worry about elections,” Landry said as he confirmed not being afraid to speak his mind. “I just worry about doing the right thing. My district is not going away. It is disappointing that Terrebonne and Lafourche are, but regardless of where I serve in Congress, I will continue to believe they are as much my constituents wherever the legislature draws my line.”

“I have amassed a record that has demonstrated results for Louisiana,” Boustany said of his time in office. “I’m going to continue to build on that record. I have worked very hard on trying to unify all groups trying to restore American energy production in the Gulf of Mexico. Using language as Jeff has that would divide those groups is not beneficial.”

Landry must, according to Stonecipher, hope for the kind of support that requires money he may not be able to secure, but Boustany could.

“I don’t’ think there is any question that Congressman Landry starts out at a disadvantage,” Stonecipher said. “We all assumed he would be at a disadvantage when the districts got drawn the way they did.”

Congressmen Jeff Landry, left, and Charles Boustany share a laugh, but are completely serious about representing constituents of their current districts and the new 3rd Congressional District. MIKE NIXON