(USA Today)- Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. John Kennedy has postponed his announcement on whether he will run for governor until Monday.
Kennedy had given himself a Dec. 1 deadline to announce whether he will challenge Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in the 2019 election.
But his Chief of Staff Preston Robinson told USA Today Network Thursday morning the senator’s travel plans and work in Washington required Kennedy to make a slight change in the timing.
“There’s nothing to be read into it,” Robinson said.
But the Louisiana Democratic Campaign spokesman took a shot at senator.
“There’s a reason Senator Kennedy has spent 30 years playing political games — it’s the only thing he knows how to do,” Eric Holl said in a statement. “It’s clear that in his heart Sen. Kennedy would rather be in Washington, D.C. than Washington Parish.
“Louisianans support Gov. Edwards because he puts Louisiana first and makes the tough decisions that make our state better. Sen. Kennedy can’t even decide when he’s going to decide which political office he wants.”
Kennedy issued his self-imposed deadline in October and accompanied it with a poll he paid for showing him leading Edwards in a head-to-head race.
Since then two potential Republican candidates, Attorney General Jeff Landry and Louisiana Association of Business and Industry President Stephen Waguespack, have said they won’t run.
That leaves wealthy Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone as the only committed Republican challenger so far. Rispone has said he will invest at least $5 million of his own money into his campaign.
Other Republicans probably are waiting on Kennedy before deciding whether to pull the trigger, although at least one says Kennedy’s decision isn’t a factor.
The most prominent of those Republicans other than Kennedy still considering the race is 5th District U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham of Alto.
Abraham has said he will announce his decision before the end of the year.
“We’re still looking at it,” Abraham said. “Whoever else runs won’t figure into my equation.”
Conventional wisdom would seem to favor a run by Kennedy, but the senator has never been conventional, said Jeremy Alford, Louisiana’s ultimate political insider and publisher of LaPolitics.com.
“I think everyone is working under the assumption he’s in, but Kennedy being Kennedy, everyone has to prepare for the alternative,” Alford said. “After 18 years of covering Sen. Kennedy I know better than to make a prediction.”
