May 4, 2008
Posted: 10:09 AM ET

From
Don Cazayoux won a hard-fought race in Louisiana.
Don Cazayoux won a hard-fought race in Louisiana.

(CNN) — Democrats on Sunday cheered a weekend special election in Louisiana, where a Democratic congressional candidate won a seat that has been held by Republicans for decades.

State Rep. Don Cazayoux beat Republican Woody Jenkins in the state's 6th Congressional District by a 49-to-46 percent margin Saturday. Both parties viewed the race as a potential bellwether of November's congressional races, with the national GOP pouring more than $1 million into the contest in an attempt to tie Cazayoux to national Democrats such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and presidential candidate Barack Obama.

"Don Cazayoux's victory this evening proves once again that Americans across our country want real solutions and reject Republicans' negative attacks," Pelosi said in a written statement hailing the win.

National Democrats spent more than $1 million as well, airing television ads that questioned whether Jenkins — a newspaper publisher, former state legislator and well-known conservative activist — had paid all his taxes on time.

The contest was to replace U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, an 11-term Republican who resigned in February to become a lobbyist. The district, which includes capital city Baton Rouge and its surrounding parishes, has been held by the GOP since 1974.

Full story

Filed under: Louisiana


denverite   May 4th, 2008 3:11 pm ET

enuff ALREADY CNN QUIT THE WRIGHT CONTROVERSY
WHY DONT U PLAY UP THE PAUL-CLINTON BAGGAGE
U ARE SO UNFAIR U STINK!

Obama 08   May 4th, 2008 3:09 pm ET

So, an Obama backed candidate won even when the attack ads ran…a good sign for Obama's argument with superdelgates.

shan   May 4th, 2008 3:06 pm ET

i'm really glad that the negative ads are not working. negative ads alwayss cause me to look more into the person being attacked. and when i see that the attacker has spun the details…they lose my vote!

i'm sick of the lies and half truths.

kris   May 4th, 2008 3:06 pm ET

you can make up grounds all you want..you still lost..ha ha ha ha..i hate that word "republican"

martin   May 4th, 2008 3:05 pm ET

it appears, the republican tactic of trying to use obama, as a negative prop, to keep this democrat from winning ,has backfired.the clintons and mccains will lose this election to obama,because folks see right through their stupid tactics.

carrie   May 4th, 2008 3:04 pm ET

hillary,hillary,hillary
you know you can not win and now you want to ruin barracks chances
if u really want the best for america
why wont u drop out of this race
and give obama time to regroup for the republicans?
why are you so selfish?
if u have devoted 25 years of your life to the service of people
why cant u add another 8 more years?
you will be 68 ans still fit to run
the race is over this time for you and you know it
barrack has to focus on november
dont ruin america because you are power hungry
what is it with u and that white house anyway
did u forget something in there
you can call michelle obama and ask her to find it for you
if u did
if u didnt,do u want to die there as well?
think of te democratic party and america
do the right thing!

Alston   May 4th, 2008 3:02 pm ET

CNN were originally toeing the line that Don Cazayoux's victory would be a test of Obama electability since he had officially endorsed him.

I dont see any mention of that in the article. They seem to be suffering from a memory problem…esp. when it comes to being pro-Obama

Shirley-Ohio   May 4th, 2008 2:56 pm ET

AMERICA SHOULD TAKES NOTES AND KNOW THAT MCCAIN IS NOT GOING TO WIN AND EITHER CLINTON OR OBAMA WILL BEAT HIM COME NOVEMBER, BUT IF YOU TAKE THE NOMINATION FROM OMBAMA AND HAND IT TO CLINTON, THE PARTY WILL SURELY BE DIVIDED AND PEOPLE WILL NOT VOTE. OMBAMA WON THIS NOMINATION FAIR AND SQUARE WHETHER IT IS ONE VOTE. HE CLEARLY WON. HE RAN A GOOD CLEAN CAMPAGINE AND FOR THAT HE SHOULD BE GIVEN HIS WIN THAT HE SO RIGHTFULLY DESERVES.

Let the best person win!   May 4th, 2008 2:54 pm ET

Congratulations State Rep. Don Cazayoux! The days are numbered for all those who use negative Ads to manipulate peoples minds. Americans are not stupid!

Dee   May 4th, 2008 2:52 pm ET

whatever RNC said- a guy who supported Obama WON…Win is a win…

April in Texas   May 4th, 2008 2:48 pm ET

Woot WTG and grats to you sir.

Obama 08/09

Carrie   May 4th, 2008 2:45 pm ET

The GOP tried, and hit Obama when he was going through his toughest news cycle. Using Obama as the bad guy wasn't a winner for the GOP, and this was an excellent chance for them to make it one. What does that tell you? That even in the worst news coverage, the desire for change and hope embodied by the Obama campaign is stronger!

M.S. Indiana   May 4th, 2008 2:44 pm ET

Welcome Don Cazayoux and congrats on the win… The show is on for Obama, rock on !!!!

NotThisTimeinNY   May 4th, 2008 2:42 pm ET

OK, but let’s say you got the DNC members really, really drunk (not an outrageous scenario) and convinced them that the popular vote ought to count. Could you then convince them that counting Michigan and Florida makes sense?

No way. For starters, the DNC is the group that declared Michigan and Florida rogue states in the first place. Do you really think the DNC is now likely to accept the popular vote count from those states?

Second, to make Clinton’s popular vote fantasy work, you have to throw out the votes in legitimate caucus states such as Iowa. The DNC turns its back on Iowa? As if.

Lastly, there is the big picture: Will the DNC really overturn the choice of the pledged delegates and substitute Clinton as the nominee over Obama?

I doubt it. First and foremost, DNC members care about the party and its future. So ask yourself: Is the DNC going to shatter the party by telling black voters and young voters that their votes in legitimate primaries and caucuses do not count?

Clinton can try to make up her own set of rules, but that doesn’t mean they are going to rule the DNC or the day.

Source: hillaryproject.com

Tim,Seattle   May 4th, 2008 2:42 pm ET

This is great! I think all these GOP attack ads trying to use Obama as the bad guy are starting to backfire, and really early!
Looks like the GOP will have to think a little more about whether this will really help them or not.
Better still, the slander against Obama isnt working either.

I have always maintained that it is better to let the Clinton machine, the GOP and to a large extent, the media try evrything they can to take Obama down. If Rev Wright is all the media and the GOP have to keep out there, it will burn out soon enough. Its all theyve got, and it is starting to become apparent.

Obama has pulled ahead of Clinton in Indiana 43-41 according to polls out this morning, another poll has Obama 43-42. If you look at the polling, Obama is coming back up again, just in time to end this on Tuesday night. No doubt to be followed by the superdelagate deluge for him the following day.
He will be the nominee, come June 4

Obama 08′
Stop the Drama Vote Obama.

PAS   May 4th, 2008 2:39 pm ET

Don't give me this argument about big states. Any Democrat will beat McSame. Just compare the total Democratic vote vs. Republican vote across America. Even if some Dems decide not to vote or even if (I doubt) vote for McSame the ""big" states will be won by Democrats. 2008 is going to be Obama beating McSame just like Carter beat Ford. McSame is like Mr. Ford vs. Mr. Carter. And we all know that Hillary sounds more like McSame every day. Let's destroy Iran and talk later??

justobserve   May 4th, 2008 2:35 pm ET

Obama should use this win to demonstrate that his name linked to other candidates is not harmful as the Clintons had hoped. It really shows voters are hungry for CHANGE NOW.

ONLY Obama   May 4th, 2008 2:34 pm ET

Coattails matter. Remember that in November and vote for Obama.

Yasriel   May 4th, 2008 2:34 pm ET

Yet they say Obama is not electable. How denuded they are?

After further review,Texas   May 4th, 2008 2:34 pm ET

Say goodbye to foot draggers in Congress that have stalled anything meaningful from advancing.Now they are all heading to K-Street to see if they cant gouge some more money from the public.

Tina   May 4th, 2008 2:34 pm ET

A democrat will be in the White House in January 2009

saha   May 4th, 2008 2:34 pm ET

No body can't stop the Democrats winning trent……keep it up guys upto november….

The O   May 4th, 2008 2:30 pm ET

How sick are the republicans, The only way they can win is by lieing and cheating, sounds a bit like a clinton tactic! does it not!!!!!!!!!

OBAMA 08

Richard Bell - Winston-Salem, NC.   May 4th, 2008 2:30 pm ET

Vote for Hillary to save the democratic party. Vote for Obama to hand over the keys to the GOP.

SH   May 4th, 2008 2:24 pm ET

CNN wake up looks like no wright effect on DEMS. As always media is wrong and the pundits are wrong.

Robert - Portland   May 4th, 2008 2:22 pm ET

While Obama and his supporters want to sweep Rev Wright under the carpet the fact is that he is a hot-button issue and should be. Let's face it, love him or hate him, Rev Wright knows Senator Obama better than any of us. Obama and his family went to this mans church for over 20 years and Obama himself stated the man was like family. In fact he wrote about him in his book.

Now that Rev Wrights hate and racism issues have come to light, we are supposed to dismiss this and continue supporting Obama. And futher Obama tried to throw him under the bus. Now comes Rev Wright speaking in public what he has preached for years and tells what he knows of Senator Obama, that he a politician and says what a politician says to get elected. Obama then jumps in the drivers seat of the bus that he threw Rev Wright under and runs him over.

People it isn't Rev Wright who changed, it is Obama… It's called pandering.

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