Hunt hunting Foti?

From Lee Fletcher:

Some circles are saying Hunt Downer may run for AG and others mention Paul Hurd.

My current information is that Paul Hurd will not likely run. He would be a good candidate at some point because he has experience to the Supreme Court level. It does not appear he wil [sic] be running now.

There are some indications Hunt Downer is considering the race.

Early on his name was mentioned a good bit. Hunt has definitely received support in the past and would be an excellent candidate but one must ask why there has been no decision or announcement.

As days go by, it appers [sic] Hunt Downer has not made moves to run that are evident and is not running at this time.

So let's focus on who is in the race and offer a balanced over view...

Attorney General Charles Foti is definitely running for re-election following his first term in office.

In addition, Royal Alexander is also running and mounting a campaign statewide early.

Foti is the former sheriff of New Orleans for 27 years. Alexander has been a Chief of Staff for a Member of Congress and served as an administrative law judge.

The big issues are already taking form. Alexander has taken to the interview circuit and raised several charges against Foti.

One is issue is related to Foti's handling of prosecution of doctors and nurses following Katrine [sic]. Foti has the case being reviewed by local officials. There were some news reports but nothing new has developed. We will keep you informed on this front.

Another issue is one involving a non decision by Foti's office in the Breaux candidacy case which most applauded and agreed with across teh [sic] entire state.

The common sense decision to not move on the Breaux case gained Foti momentum and was favorably received even in conservative circles.

A few other big issues are crime and murders in New Orleans, scams, internet predators and developing changes in how the AG's office may tackle case loads.

Our prediciton [sic] is that a run off [sic] is possible between Alexander and Foti but several things must fall into place for that to be reality.

For this to happen, Jindal's coat tails [sic] would have to come into play and help Alexander.

Another important step for the new comer [sic] candidate would be that no major republican enters the race. This means much of the Republican support will fall to Royal Alexander by default.

Foti could win the race out right [sic] and has a compelling story on several fronts. He has spent a good bit of time around the state and has been visible in his four years. He also focused on seniors a good bit in his four years and tackled severel [sic] scammers.

Most incumbents do not lose in Louisiana. Those who lose do so because they have a major series of failures or get caught up in a mess of problems. Foti has avoided major scandals and is most likely headed for re-election based on momentum he picked up on the Breaux case.

Alexander is raising money which is key because he has not run statewide before and will need the media to push any message. The ability to do so, and buying enough tv air time is huge in determining his real chances.

Recent polls in the last two weeks show the race Foti's to lose by a significant margin.

To be entirely fair...if Royal Alexander can raise the money, he can make a horse race of it and if not, the range of difference in name id alone will be a tough mountain to climb.

Running statewide is very tough to do and requires a significant war chest. Jindal's coat tails [sic] may be in play.

This is one race though where a major decision by a sitting democrat office holder actually helped Jindal, in my view. Any impact from that decision will have to be determined as the race goes forward.

We will continue to watch the race closely.