Latest news with #Couvillon
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why did Louisiana voters reject all four constitutional amendments? Pollster shares observations
Voters in Louisiana rejected all four proposed amendments to the Louisiana Constitution in Saturday's elections. The four amendments dealing with specialty courts, tax rates and juvenile prosecution were defeated by a significant margin, with nearly identical percentage votes. Louisiana pollster John Couvillon identified three main reasons for the amendments' defeat on Saturday. More: Louisiana election results: Four proposed constitutional amendments rejected Couvillon noted a significant increase in Democratic turnout during this election cycle, particularly among Black voters, who outnumbered white voters. In Orleans Parish, the amendment election attracted 10,000 more voters than the 2023 gubernatorial election. "From a percentage standpoint, Election Day turnout from Black voters was 17 percent, while it was 14 percent amongst white voters," Couvillon said. "As an example of Democratic turnout being elevated, Orleans Parish's turnout was 10 percent higher than the rest of the state, in other words, 31 versus 21 percent. I calculate that Black voters, or shall I say voters in overwhelmingly Black precincts, voted 92-to-8 against Amendment 2, while white voters voted 53-to-47 against Amendment 2." Couvillon pointed out that Republicans were divided over the taxation of churches. Couvillon said several Evangelical types opposed Amendment 2 based on this issue, with Republican Representative Danny McCormick of Oil City also opposing the amendment. Couvillon noted that he does not recall seeing any advertisements for the amendment until the week of early voting, which he believes is short notice. He likened an amendment campaign to a political campaign. "With it being defeated by such a wide margin ‒ and with nearly identical percentage votes all four amendments − you kind of have to conclude that given the confusion that voters had about Amendment 2, they then took that confusion out on the other three amendments," he said. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Why did all four Louisiana constitutional amendments fail to pass?
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats outpace Republicans in early voting ahead of March 29 election
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Louisiana's March elections are typically low-turnout affairs, especially when major races aren't on the ballot. But this year, with four constitutional amendments heavily pushed by Gov. Jeff Landry's administration, early voting trends are drawing attention. According to pollster John Couvillon with JMC Analytics and Polling, early voting is higher than usual for an election of this nature, though overall turnout is still expected to be low. Couvillon is projecting a 16% turnout, slightly higher than the 14% turnout seen during the last amendment-focused election in 2021. 'That's too large of a group to ignore in terms of its electoral significance. I'm finding that early voting is basically a distant, early warning sign for either party in terms of who has the enthusiasm or who doesn't,' Couvillon said. One of the most striking findings is that Democrats are heavily out-voting Republicans. While recent years have seen Republicans dominate early voting, this cycle shows Democrats with more than 30,000 more early votes than Republicans. There's also been a significant increase in Black voter turnout. According to the Secretary of State's website, the total number of early votes is 182,866. Breakdown of those votes: 110,095 from white voters 66,748 from Black voters 62,928 votes from Republicans 93,184 votes from Democrats 26,754 votes from other parties 'Not even during John Bel Edwards's 2019 reelection, when I was seeing strong Democratic numbers, have I seen numbers as strong as they are today,' Couvillon said. 'More specifically, 37% Black and +17% Democratic. I've not seen those kinds of numbers ever.' What Louisiana voters need to know before March 29 election Couvillon noted that the increased Democratic turnout may reflect dissatisfaction with the current political landscape. 'Basically, what you have with Donald Trump in the White House and Jeff Landry in the governorship, both of them are pursuing Republican agendas. And the extent to which they're pursuing it, I think, is creating a firestorm of anger amongst Democrats and one thing I've seen when people are angry, they can and do vote,' Couvillon said. The proposed constitutional amendments include a major overhaul of the state's tax system that would: Permanently cut income taxes Double the standard deduction Potentially reduce funding for early childhood education Maintain a teacher pay stipend Include other tax-related changes .. Boebert suggests GOP could rename DC 'District of America' The MLB teams with the highest — and lowest — median ticket prices: report New Orleans police seek tips tied to Baton Rouge inmate accused of rape Judge temporarily blocks Trump admin from deporting South Korean Columbia student Gabbard pressed on omission of climate change from threat report Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
28-01-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
A Georgia mayor will challenge U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde in 2026 Republican primary
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A northeast Georgia mayor says he will challenge U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde in the Republican primary in 2026, which could capitalize on discontent among business leaders with Clyde's ultraconservative approach to representing Georgia's 9th Congressional District. Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon announced his bid for office Tuesday, billing himself as someone who will 'deliver real results.' Clyde is the second Georgia congressional incumbent to pick up a declared 2026 primary challenger. Democratic state Sen. Emanuel Jones, recently said he will seek his party's nomination for the 13th District in Atlanta's southern and eastern suburbs. That seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. David Scott. Couvillon has been mayor of Gainesville since 2022 and has served on the City Council there from 2013 to 2021. The city has a weak mayor system, with a city manager running day-to-day affairs. In his announcement, though, Couvillon claimed credit for the city's strong budget position and its ability to attract jobs. The insurance executive is pledging that he'll back President Donald Trump without explicitly mentioning Clyde. 'While most politicians are more concerned with making a point than getting things done, I'll be ready on Day 1 to support President Trump's agenda, secure our southern border, tackle inflation and the rising cost of living, and stand with our farmers and small businesses,' Couvillon said in a statement. Clyde is a gun dealer who won the seat in 2020 after Doug Collins stepped down. He won a runoff after a nine-way primary and then coasted to victory in the heavily Republican district. He's faced little significant opposition since. The incumbent has irritated some business-aligned conservatives. He hesitated openly before voting for House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier in January and was among Republicans who ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023. Clyde has also voted against a number of debt and spending measures, including one version of a bill that eventually passed to provide emergency aid to victims of Hurricane Helene and additional aid to farmers. Clyde has most been noted in Congress for efforts to curtail gun control measures. Clyde also resisted the use of metal detectors in the House. In 2021, Clyde said that 'there were some rioters' among those who entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 but said it was a 'bold-faced lie' to call it an insurrection and likened it in some ways to a 'normal tourist visit.'
