Battle expected over congressional seat in South Louisiana
by Deborah Barfield Berry - Shreveport Times (excerpt)

WASHINGTON — Only one of the two House members thrown into Louisiana's newly drawn congressional seat has officially declared his candidacy, but both are raising money and jockeying over who gets credit for bills in Congress. Reps. Charles Boustany and Jeff Landry, both Republicans, are expected to face off in one of about a dozen member-versus-member congressional races nationwide this year.

The potential race could be "interesting and brutally nasty," said Bernie Pinsonat, a pollster and political consultant based in Baton Rouge. Even without Landry officially in the race, there are signs a battle is brewing. The two have been at odds over who gets credit for bills in Congress.

Landry is also quick to point out that he voted against the Budget Control Act because he didn't think the $1 trillion in cuts it outlined was enough, and he didn't think so much of the cuts should come from the defense budget. Pinsonat said the tone was set two years ago when Boustany crossed district lines to endorse Landry's rival, Hunt Downer.