Gov. Jindal kept challengers away
by Mike Hasten - News Star (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE — Nine challengers would spell trouble for most incumbents, but when almost all have no funds to wage a campaign and are counting on protest votes, Gov. Bobby Jindal is not too concerned about re-election. The issue for him is how big a majority of the vote he will get Oct. 22.

Asked about the race, long-time political consultant Roy Fletcher of Baton Rouge answers "What race? The nine challengers might get 25 percent when everybody adds their votes up. "It's going to be the first time when people drop off at the top of the ballot," Fletcher predicted. "There will be more people voting in the lieutenant governor's race than the governor's. That's very unusual."

The governor's campaign ads are targeted, he said. In Northern Louisiana Jindal is regularly running an ad featuring his endorsement by the National Rifle Association. The ads running in Baton Rouge and New Orleans are primarily about industrial development and jobs. Hollis' ads also are targeted — targeted at Jindal's flaws. But the observers of political trends say it is far too little and far too late to make a dent in the Jindal campaign juggernaut.