Today is the last day for candidate qualifying in Louisiana for the fall elections (qualifying concludes at 5PM). Below is the current status of major state and national offices:

August 28 party primary/October 2 party runoff if necessary/November 2 general election:

Unopposed for primary and general: District 1 – Steve Scalise (R-Metairie), District 6 – Bill Cassidy (R-Baton Rouge), District 7 – Charles Boustany (R-Lafayette)

Unopposed for primary only: (1) District 2 – “Joseph” Cao (R-New Orleans), (2) District 3 Democratic nominee- Ravi Sangisetty (D-Houma), (3) District 4 Republican nominee – John Fleming (R-Minden)

Races with primaries: (1) U.S. Senate Democratic Primary – Charlie Melancon of Napoleonville and Cary Deaton of Metairie; (2) U.S. Senate Republican Primary – David Vitter of Metairie and Nick Accardo of Franklin; (3) District 2 Democratic Primary – state Rep Juan La Fonta, state Rep Cedric Richmond, and Gary Johnson; (4) District 3 Republican Primary – Jeff Landry and Hunt Downer; (5) District 4 Democratic Primary – Steven Gavi and David Melville; (6) District 5 Republican Primary – Rodney Alexander and Todd Slavant (Note: what is interesting about David Vitter’s primary opponent is that he ran for office against J. Bennett Johnston, John Breaux, Billy Tauzin, and Mary Landrieu as a Democrat then as an Indpendent between 1990 and 1996) ;

3rd Party Candidacies, who will appear on the November ballot without a primary: (1) U.S. Senate – “Tony G” Gentile of Mandeville, Michael Brown of Shreveport, Bob Lang of Natchitoches, Sam Melton of Winnfield, Mike Spears of Lafayette, and Milton Gordon of Alexandria; (2) District 2 – Anthony Marquize; (3) District 4 – Artis Cash; (4) District 5 – “Tom” Gibbs

October 2 primary/November 2 runoff if necessary:

Lieutenant Governor – (All five so far are Republicans) Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, GOP Chairman Roger Villere, St Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis (who rankled some by crossing party lines to endorse Mary Landrieu in her 2008 re-election campaign), Baton Rouge Republican Melanie McKnight, and country singer Sammy Kershaw (who ran for the office in 2007 against Mitch Landrieu);

Supreme Court, District 7 (Orleans, Westbank) – Bernette Johnson was unopposed;

Public Service Commission Districts 3 (New Orleans to inner city Baton Rouge) and 4 (Central and Southwest Louisiana) – District 3 – Lambert Boissiere (D-New Orleans) was unopposed, District 4 – Clyde Holloway (R-Forest Hill) was unopposed

State Senate District 2- New Orleans Democrats Mike Darnell, Edward Washington, and Cynthia Willard-Lewis;.

State Representative District 5 – Term limited incumbent Wayne Waddell (R-Shreveport) will resign effective August 1 to take a museum director’s job. Filing for this office will not be until August, although conservative Alan Seabaugh (who ran for the state Senate in 2007 against Sherri Cheek and nearly won) has expressed interest.