Before a single ballot was cast, Louisiana Democrats knew they couldn’t win control of the State Legislature this year.
It was mathematically impossible, because a lack of candidates meant they were not even contesting the majority of districts.
Their best hope for political success rested with Shawn Wilson, a former state transportation secretary, and the expectation he would force a runoff against Jeff Landry, the state’s hard-line Republican attorney general, in an open primary for governor.
At least, Democrats reasoned, Mr. Wilson would make it a little harder for the overwhelmingly favored Republican to flip control of the governor’s mansion in a region increasingly dominated by conservatives.
But when Mr. Landry won a majority of the primary vote in October, eliminating the need for a runoff, the results instead laid bare the bleak conditions of a state Democratic Party decimated by internal divisions, paltry fund-raising totals and a disenchanted voter base.
Persons:
Shawn Wilson, Jeff Landry, Wilson, Landry
Organizations:
Louisiana Democrats, Republican, Democratic Party
Locations:
Louisiana