Redstate

By Ben Domenech Posted in 2007 | Bobby Jindal | Louisiana — Comments (15) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Crossing into Louisiana in the Mustang this morning, it took a mere five minutes before the first sign of a new political era: a pickup with a huge LSU imprint, and a "Tigers for Jindal" bumper sticker.

The signs, stickers, and placards for Jindal are everywhere. But that's not going to be enough today for Bobby to get over the hump of 50 percent and prevent a runoff. Against a candidate like Georges, who can dump significant cash into the sprint run toward the finish, Jindal would have to expend serious resources.

The Jindal campaign is optimistic, but nothing is certain yet. With an LSU game tonight, and loyal conservative voters going to the polls early in the morning, the Jindal campaign will have to play a waiting game to see if the first minority governor since reconstruction will have an opportunity to give Louisiana its second chance.

Live from Baton Rouge...

[UPDATE:] 2:17 PM The home schooling army of young Christians is out in force for Bobby. They've knocked on 633,000 - yes, SIX HUNDRED THIRTY THREE THOUSAND doors since Monday.

Early parish numbers are trickling in from volunteer reports, and they look good - but again, it's tough to predict how concentrated the later turnout will be, and the real question here is if that later concentration can come out strong enough to force a runoff. So if you know anyone who hasn't voted, get them out there - Bobby needs you.

Waiting is the hardest part, folks. Many of the vets from the 2003 race are here, and they all know the anxious feeling in your gut that comes with knowing the stakes of a race like this.

2:40 PM Looking at some of the attack pieces that have been mailed out against Bobby - some anonymously, some from other candidates in the race - most of them take one of two tacks. Either they engage in the kind of ludicrous, out of context attack like we saw in the case of the assaults on Jindal's Catholic faith, or they are of the thinly veiled "Bobby doesn't have anything in common with you" rhetoric, because apparently they've realized that the racial attacks they pulled in 2003 just won't work this time.

It says something about the kind of people opposing Bobby - and about the kind of leader he is - that this is the kind of shameful assaults they're reduced to.

3:40 PM Reports are that turnout is low. Get out to vote, or Bobby may not win flat out.

5:15 PM They're stocking up for the party. As you can see, the reporters here have their priorities straight.

For the record, the place is full of TVs tuned to SEC football - word is the Auburn team is staying in this hotel, and I know for a fact that the Auburn cheerleaders are staying here (sorry fellas, no pictures). They have nice smiles.

The Secretary of State's office has only had very, very small issues, scattered across the state. No significant reports of anything untoward.

[Update 2:] With a little less than two hours before the polls close, not a single member of the mainstream press that I just talked to (and there are plenty of them here) expects Jindal to get less than 50%.