Blanco insists she'll run again, Breaux not responding to questions
by ED ANDERSON - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- Despite continued speculation that former U.S. Sen. John Breaux will jump in the governor's race, possibly in the next week or two, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Wednesday that she is still running for the job and will not be influenced by any decision Breaux makes.

Blanco's statement prompted Breaux to issue a statement from his Washington, D.C., office through spokesman Brian Hale.

"Whatever help I can be to her and our state, I'm more than happy to provide," he said.

Breaux would not respond to questions, Hale said.

Breaux, senior counsel with the Washington lobbying firm of Patton Boggs, served in the U.S. House and Senate for 32 years.

State Democratic Party Chairman Chris Whittington said he does not know whether Breaux will yield to Blanco or whether Blanco will drop out of the race and give Breaux a shot. "I have called Breaux's office and he has not called me back," Whittington said. "I honestly have no idea."

Jindal told supporters in a recent newsletter that he intends to run for governor no matter who is in the race.

If Breaux runs, he could face a legal challenge on his standing as a candidate.

The state Constitution requires a person be a "citizen" of the state for "at least the preceding five years" before running for office. Breaux is a registered voter and resident of Maryland, about 70 miles from his Washington office.

GOP officials say that would make him ineligible to run for governor.