The special election to fill a vacancy left due to the passing of Representative Ronnie Edwards was concluded this past Saturday with West Baton Rouge attorney Edmond Jordan defeating East Baton Rouge school board member Vereta Lee. Jordan was facing an uphill battle due to a number of factors. He faced a district which usually favors an East Baton Rouge candidate versus a West Baton Rouge candidate. The district also favors a female candidate due to its 59% female registered voters. But Jordan overcame both issues on election night and brought home 60% of the vote in House District 29.
As of Vereta Lee’s last available campaign finance report, it was obvious the unions and trial attorneys were in her corner because they financed her election in the amount of $15,500.
| Union Contributions | |
| BATON ROUGE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL | $100.00 |
| CARPENTERS LOCAL UNION #1098 CAR-PIC FUND | $400.00 |
| EAST BATON ROUGE FEDERATION OF TEACHERS | $700.00 |
| IBEW PAC VOLUNTARY FUND | $250.00 |
| LAE FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATION | $2,500.00 |
| LFT-PAC | $2,500.00 |
| LOUISIANA AFL-CIO | $500.00 |
| LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS | $1,000.00 |
| LOUISIANA CARPENTERS REGIONAL COUNCIL PAC FUND | $500.00 |
| P & S LOCAL 60 THOMAS JEFFERSON FUND | $2,500.00 |
| SEIU | $500.00 |
| $11,450.00 |
| Trial Lawyer Contributions | |
| LAW OFFICES OF DAN A ROBIN, JR.,LLC | $2,500.00 |
| TILLMAN BESTER & ASSOCIATES | $1,250.00 |
| SHOWS, CALI AND WALSH | $200.00 |
| YIGAL BANDER | $100.00 |
| $4,050.00 |
She also received $10,250 from elected officials, associations, gaming interests and lobbyists.
| Politicians and Lobbyists | |
| REP. B.W CARPENTER CAMPAIGN FUND | $250.00 |
| BARBARA FREIBERG | $150.00 |
| DARRELL W HUNT | $500.00 |
| DAVID M TATMAN | $250.00 |
| HAYNIE & ASSOCIATES, INC. | $250.00 |
| LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS | $500.00 |
| LOUISIANA NURSING HOME | $1,500.00 |
| FAIR PAC (La Video Gaming Association) | $1,500.00 |
| SEN. REGINA BARROW | $350.00 |
| REP. ROBERT J CARTER | $1,000.00 |
| ROBIN AND ASSOCIATES | $2,500.00 |
| SID GAUTREAUX CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE | $1,000.00 |
| SOUTHERN STRATEGY GROUP OF LOUISIANA LLC | $500.00 |
| $10,250.00 |
The current known (5/17/16) total shows her receiving $31,450 for both primary and runoff.
Edmond Jordan worked hard to identify his votes in both his home parish and precincts in north Baton Rouge. His hard work paid off by increasing West Baton Rouge parish turnout by +2.7%. While Vereta Lee’s campaign excited few East Baton Rouge voters and turnout fell by -1.8%. Over 353 EBR voters stayed home during the runoff compared to the primary. Meanwhile WBR sent an additional 256 voters to the polls in the runoff compared to the primary.
| East Baton Rouge Turnout | West Baton Rouge Turnout | |
| Primary | 10.8% | 16.9 |
| Runoff | 9% | 19.6 |
| – 1.8% | + 2.7 | |
| East Baton Rouge Voters | West Baton Rouge Voters | |
| Primary | 2060 | 1424 |
| Runoff | 1707 | 1680 |
| – 353 | + 256 |
In special elections turnout is always much lower than scheduled fall elections. Jordan focused on identifying his voters and used the combination of phone banking and direct mail to motivate his voter base. It’s obvious this strategy works and he will be enjoying the results when he gets sworn into office later on this week.