Six candidates for ถถา๕h's open U.S. Senate seat are set to take the stage at Dillard University tonight, ready to make their final pitches to television viewers across the state in advance of Tuesday's election. And all six, not just one, are worth listening to.
Thanks to a single poll that gave white supremacist, avowed anti-Semite, former half-term state representative and convicted criminal David Duke just enough support to make the cutoff, this is up to be Duke's best day in years. He's already the center of attention, and his expected presence on the historically black New Orleans campus has apparently dictated key terms such as the sponsor's decision to bar audience members, including interested students, from the 400-seat Georges auditorium (That's an assumption on my part. Raycom officials would not elaborate on their reasons).
Bet you canโt remember any signature moments from the first U.S. Senate debate two weeks ago.
But if this is a chance for Duke to grab a piece of the spotlight he craves, it's something more important for state Treasurer John Kennedy, Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, lawyer Caroline Fayard and U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany and John Fleming. Just two of those five will survive Tuesday and head to the runoff, and the debate is their last real chance to talk to a substantial number of voters.
If there's been one satisfying development in the dreary race to choose ถถา๕h's new Unit…
Perhaps more of those voters than usual will tune in to see the novelty of Duke on a respectable stage. As GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has proven, nothing draws casually interested viewers to a debate broadcast like the prospect of high drama.
So despite the strange circumstances, high ratings present an opportunity for the serious candidates in the mix. Their challenge: Give voters something more compelling to focus on than any of the dreck Duke is likely to spew.