Former Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges has entered the crowded race for St. Tammany Parish Sheriff.
Hodges announced his candidacy on Monday, joining former Slidell Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau, former federal marshal Scott Illing, and retired sheriff's deputy David Maki in the race to succeed disgraced former sheriff Randy Smith.
Does Hodges's former job give him a leg up in the race?
"Being the commander of the State Police is certainly a prestigious post to have," pollster John Couvillon said.
However, Couvillon notes that in St. Tammany Parish, that prestige doesn't necessarily guarantee a victory--or even a runoff--for Hodges.
"Does that necessarily equate to strong name recognition back home in a parish as large and as transient as St. Tammany is?," Couvillon asked, noting that local turf wars could cause some issues not only for Hodges but for all of the candidates. "You do have an east versus west divide in St. Tammany, which is, of course, you're talking about Mandeville, Covington, and Madisonville versus Slidell and perhaps Lacombe and Pearl River."
Hodges and Illing live in the western part of the parish, in Mandeville and Madisonville, respectively, while Seuzeneau and Maki live in the eastern part of the parish, Slidell and Pearl River, respectively.
"This is the St. Tammany Parish version of the East vs. Westbank that tends to dominate parishwide politics in Jefferson Parish," Couvillon said. "All of a sudden, the folks who live in places like Folsom and Sun and all that suddenly become important. They'll be kind of the tiebreaker, so to speak."
Qualifying for the November 3 election begins tomorrow (Wednesday, August 5). According Couvillon, that limited window could prevent the candidates from going "from 0 to 60" in their campaigning and fundraising efforts.
"It's kind of an interesting time to run for office considering how quickly everything is going to have to come together to have a successful campaign," Couvillon said. "And then the additional challenge is: once you do make the runoff, then you start to deal with the holiday season, which means lessened interest."
Analyst says time & geography could pose hurdles for Hodges and the other candidates
Analyst says time & geography could pose hurdles for Hodges and the other candidates
