Louisiana attorney general's race turns nasty

Louisiana's attorney general race may not carry the cachet of the governor's race, but it can match the top of the ticket for nastiness.

Republican and tea party darling Jeff Landry, a former congressman, has accused Republican two-term incumbent Attorney General Buddy Caldwell of nepotism, cronyism and corruption — all in a single quote.

Democrat Ike Jackson said Caldwell "is as dumb as the bottom of my shoe."

In response to the attacks, Caldwell said all four of his challengers — Democrat Gerald "Geri" Broussard-Baloney and Republican Marty Maley are the others — are little more than ne'er-do-wells who can't make it as private-sector lawyers or prosecutors.

"They're lying because that's all they have to offer; they're just hunting a job," Caldwell said. "Between the four of them they've only tried one case in court themselves, and it wasn't Landry. It was Maley. None of them have the qualifications for me to hire them as an assistant, much less replace me as attorney general."

Early voting for the statewide Oct. 24 election begins Saturday and continues through Oct. 17 except on Sunday.

Landry, whose campaign slogan has been "stop the Buddy system," said Caldwell has hired too many expensive out-of-state attorneys to represent Louisiana in litigation and operates a bloated agency that needs to be thinned.

"I got into this race because I want to see Louisiana be a great state," Landry said. "This back-slapping, pay-your-friends kind of government needs to be in the past, so I'm laying out that case against my resume as a conservative, veteran, small businessman and law enforcement officer."

Jackson, the leading Democrat in early polling, said he would be an attorney general "who would do what's in the best interest of the state instead of the best interests of politics like the current one." Jackson said he believes his background in oil and gas — he began his career at Exxon and also worked for the Louisiana Department of Resources — positions him well in the mineral-rich state.

He said the oil and gas industry "has had its way in this state. Small landowners have no protection," he said.

But Caldwell adopted Landry's "Buddy system" slogan as his own. "The Buddy system is here and working for Louisiana," Caldwell said.

The incumbent noted that his agency has secured billions of dollars for the state through litigation, the biggest coming in a more than $5 billion settlement with BP.

Caldwell also noted that his cyber crime, fugitive apprehension, domestic violence and Medicaid fraud units have been rated among the best in the country.

"I'm running the state's law office; not a political office," Caldwell said. "We're doing unbelievable work in this office as a team. We have the highest standards and an impeccable record. I'm proud to be leading this team and proud of our record."

Follow Greg Hilburn on Twitter @GregHilburn1