House Democrats continued to expand their majority
Saturday night after Louisiana state Rep. Don
Cazayoux emerged victorious in a special election for
retired Rep. Richard Baker’s (R) district.
The win comes two months after Democrats picked
up their first seat of the year. In March, Democrat Bill
Foster won the Illinois seat of former House Speaker
Dennis Hastert (R). That seat, like the Louisiana
contest, was in solidly Republican areas. President
Bush carried the Illinois district with 55 percent and
the Louisiana district with 59 percent in 2004.
Cazayoux benefited from a strong fundraising
advantage over Woody Jenkins — $810,000 to
$490,000 — with much of the help coming from
national Democrats. The Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent $920,000 on the
contest.
The National Republican Congressional Committee
(NRCC) only spent $440,000 on the race and Jenkins
received less than $40,000 from GOP members.
