The special election called to replace the late Ronnie Edwards who passed away early in her 2016 term is causing littler fanfare and attracting very little interest. The April 9th five person primary only drew out 12.7% voter turnout. Runoff election on May 14th is expected to be an even lower turnout. Attorney and small business owner Edmond Jordan finished first with 31% of the vote with East Baton Rouge School Board member Vereta Lee finishing second with 24%.
LABI’s EASTPAC interviewed candidates prior to the primary and decided to endorse Edmond Jordan for House District 29. His varied law background which includes working in the executive branch under the Public Service Commission and Department of Environmental Quality along with experience in the worker’s compensation arena convinced EASTPAC that Jordan is the best qualified candidate. In addition to his law practice Jordan also serves on the board of a credit union and co-owns an insurance company in East Baton Rouge.
The analysis of supporters who contributed to Vereta Lee should give voters some concern. A quick breakdown shows that the majority of her funding comes directly from unions: Teacher Unions, Service Employees International Union and the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union. This large influx of money from just a few unions should cause voters to take another look at his race.
|
Vereta Lee Primary Contributions HD 29 |
City |
Date |
Amount |
|
|
LFT-PAC |
Baton Rouge |
3/14/2016 |
$1,000.00 |
|
|
LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS |
Baton Rouge |
3/15/2016 |
$1,000.00 |
|
|
P & S LOCAL 60 THOMAS JEFFERSON FUND |
Metairie |
3/20/2016 |
$1,000.00 |
|
|
EBR FEDERATION OF TEACHERS |
Baton Rouge |
3/20/2016 |
$700.00 |
|
|
SOUTHERN STRATEGY GROUP OF LA LLC |
Baton Rouge |
3/20/2016 |
$606.16 |
|
|
W T A A ENGINEERS LLC |
Baton Rouge |
3/10/2016 |
$500.00 |
|
|
LOUISIANA NURSING HOME |
Baton Rouge |
3/31/2016 |
$500.00 |
|
|
SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATION UNION |
Baton Rouge |
4/1/2016 |
$500.00 |
|
|
DAVID M TATMAN |
Baton Rouge |
3/20/2016 |
$250.00 |
|
|
$6,056.16 |
House district 29’s demographics slightly favor an African-American female from the East Baton Rouge part of the district. Female voter registration is 58.3% versus 41.6% male. But with a projected 11-12% turnout for the runoff, an African-American male from West Baton Rouge has a fighting chance. Especially since third place finisher, Victor Woods, had over 647 votes from the same parish Jordan calls home – West Baton Rouge. Just look at the primary results.
|
WBR |
EBR |
Total Votes |
||
|
Edmond Jordan |
588 |
500 |
1088 |
Jordan |
|
Vereta Lee |
79 |
769 |
848 |
Lee |
|
Tyra Banks Sterling |
69 |
448 |
517 |
Sterling |
|
Albert White |
41 |
232 |
273 |
White |
|
Victor Woods |
647 |
111 |
758 |
Woods |
|
Total Votes |
1424 |
2060 |
||
|
Turnout |
16.90% |
10.80% |
It will all come down which candidate will get their voters identified and out to the polls on May 14th. About 16% (560 of 3484) of the primary voters voted early. In a close race like this, early voting turnout and day of election turnout will be critical.
To find out more about Edmond Jordan go to: www.edmondjordan.com