Running out of time to energize voters
Published 1:00 am Friday, October 26, 2018
The campaign to replace Louisiana’s third highest ranking state official, the Secretary of State, has attracted little attention as the Nov. 6 election creeps closer and closer. How we got to this point, though, was anything but quiet.
Tom Schedler, who was Louisiana’s chief elections official, resigned in May amid a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against him by a former female co-worker. The lawsuit was filed in February, alleging Schedler harassed the woman for years and punished her when she rebuffed his repeated advances. Schedler’s spokeswoman said the pair had a consensual sexual relationship; the woman’s lawyer denied that.
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Last week it was announced that Louisiana has agreed to pay the co-worker $149,075 to end the lawsuit and Schedler will personally pay her $18,425 on top of that, according to the state Division of Administration.
The November special election will fill the remaining year of Schedler’s term and in the meantime his former first assistant, Kyle Ardoin, has moved into the job.
Ardoin, a Republican, is running on the ballot to stay in the position. The other eight candidates are Republicans Heather Gould, A.G. Crowe, “Rick” Edmonds, Thomas J. Kennedy III and Julie Stokes; Democrats Renee Fontenot Free, a Lake Charles native, and “Gwen” Collins-Greenup; and Matthew Paul “Matt” Moreau, no party affiliation.
Political donors haven’t seemed to be in a hurry to break out their checkbooks for this race.
Ardoin raised the most campaign cash during July 30-Sept. 27 collection period with $140,000, narrowly edging out Stokes, who brought in nearly $134,000 in contributions.
Stokes reported the largest amount of money in the bank, dwarfing her competitors with $514,000 on hand. But that includes a $250,000 personal loan. Ardoin held just under $208,000 in his campaign account, including a $25,000 personal loan.
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Cloud reported nearly $106,000 remaining in her account, but the majority stems from the $100,000 she loaned her campaign in July.
Edmonds raised more than $69,000 and closed with about $51,000 on hand. Crowe wrapped up the period with nearly $23,000 in the bank, after receiving about $47,000 in donations.
He loaned his campaign $90,000 in June.
