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Monday, September 28th, 2026
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
LOUISIANA’S KENNEDY IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE?
The next election for president is two years away, but there are candidates in both parties who are positioning themselves for a possible run. A new candidate on the list, and a guy from Louisiana, is current U.S. Senator John Kennedy , who is 74. When asked about his interest in the nation’s top office, Kennedy did not shy away from a retort. He promptly responded with the title of a 1984 country hit by the Judd family: “Why not me?”
If you haven’t followed the Senator’s recent activities, he’s visited the early primary states of both Iowa and South Carolina to raise money for other Republicans. His book about Washington’s dysfunction was on the New York Times best-selling list for several months. And he has a campaign fund approaching $20 million. Kennedy was quoted in a recent interview of saying: “if I get tired of this place (the Senate), and/or if a bunch of goobers run for president, then I reserve the right to run.” I’m not sure what he meant by being a goober, but I’m sure he will tell us with his sense of humor.
Kennedy is one of the number of Louisiana politicos who has considered a run for national office. The only Louisianan who was ever elected president was Zachary Taylor back in 1849. Huey Long was considered to be a serious candidate running against President Franklin Roosevelt in 1936. His plans were derailed when he was assassinated at the Louisiana State Capitol.
Gov. John McKeithen made a run for national office in 1968. He was rumored to be a front runner to join Vice President Hubert Humphrey on the Democratic ticket. At the last minute, Humphrey passed on McKeithen and picked Senator Edmund Muskie from Maine.
In more recent times, Gov. Buddy Roemer ran a respectable race in the 2012 Republican primary, but refused any contribution over one hundred dollars and was not able to keep up with the more well-funded candidates. And who can forget Bobby Jindal’s quixotic presidential race in 2016 when he quickly crashed and burned after ignoring the home folks back in the Bayou State?
In 1978, Gov. Edwin Edwards was at the height of his popularity. He had been easily re-elected to a second term two years earlier. With the price of natural gas and oil continuing to rise, the coffers of the state treasury were filled, and Governor Edwards faced little controversy. Candidates for office in the 1978 and 1979 elections eagerly sought his endorsement.
As his second term was winding down, he was obviously looking for new challenges. The Governor and I made a joint appearance in north Louisiana early in 1978, then flew back to Baton Rouge together on the state plane. I was reading a book my father had given me, Marathon, The Pursuit of the Presidency 1972-1976, by Jules Witcover.
The book presented an account of the 1976 presidential election and went into great detail as to how Jimmy Carter rose from being a little-known Southern governor to getting elected President of the United States. The Governor noticed the book, and I gave him a brief description of the author’s explanation showing Carter’s effort in putting together a Georgia campaign team that was able to capture the Democratic nomination.
About a week later, I was at my home in Ferriday when the phone rang one evening just before midnight. It was the Governor. “Do you still have that book about Carter getting elected President?” Edwards asked. “Why?” I said. “Are you planning on doing the same thing and challenging him?” Edwards laughed and told me he was interested in some bedtime reading. “If Jimmy Carter could pull it off, I would think that I certainly could,” he said. Thirty minutes later, a state trooper arrived at my home to pick up the book.
.The Governor’s wife, Elaine, publicly supported Carter’s opponent, Gerald Ford, for President in 1976. President Carter’s popularity was at a low ebb in 1979 as Edwin Edwards considered his future plans. Possible presidential ambitions seemed to be under consideration by the Governor.
The following month, news reports circulated that the Governor’s wife Elaine had accepted a $10,000 gift from South Korean businessman Tongsun Park. The bad publicity derailed any talk of a run by Edwards for higher office.
About three weeks later, the book came back to me in the mail. It had been my intention for the Governor to keep it. There was no note attached, and he never mentioned the book or the presidency to me again.
So does Senator John Kennedy have a serious chance of getting the republican nomination? Right now, the race is wide open and anyone’s guess.
Peace and Justice
Jim Brown
Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownla.com.