Boustany Has More Than $1 Million for Member-Vs.-Member Challenge
Louisiana Rep. Charles Boustany (R) raised $474,000 and had more than $1 million in cash on hand at the end of June to prepare for a likely Member-vs.-Member battle against a freshman Republican, Roll Call has learned.
“I want to express my deepest appreciation to the people of Louisiana for their continued support and confidence in my leadership,” Boustany will say in a statement to be released later Tuesday.
Though Boustany is comfortably ensconced in safe Republican territory, he appears likely to face a primary challenge from freshman Rep. Jeff Landry (R).
Reapportionment allotted Louisiana six Congressional districts, one fewer than its current seven. The final redistricting map signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) essentially eliminated Landry’s 3rd district, drawing him into the same territory as Boustany. Though Landry has not said whether he’s taking on Boustany, the conventional wisdom in the state is that he’s seriously considering a primary challenge against his colleague. Landry has also taken some positions that appear to be attempts to differentiate himself from the four-term Congressman.
Landry declined to attend a White House meeting last month with President Barack Obama and House Republicans. “I don’t intend to spend my morning being lectured to by a President,” he said in a statement at the time. Boustany and the rest of the Louisiana GOP House delegation showed up at the event.
“He’s serving as a Congressman and he’s raising money,” Landry’s general consultant Brent Littlefield told Roll Call when asked about a potential primary run Tuesday.
Littlefield declined to comment “on any office he might run for.” The consultant would not release the Congressman’s fundraising figures, which will be posted Friday by the Federal Election Commission.
In the first quarter, Boustany raised $235,000 and Landry raised $198,000. At the end of March, Landry had $172,000 in cash on hand.