By Chris Cillizza
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Former senator John Breaux (D-La.) will run for governor this November -- assuming the state's top cop lets him.

State Rep. Eric LaFleur (D) has asked state Attorney General Charles Foti (D) to issue a ruling on whether Breaux meets the residency requirements to run for governor. Breaux could not ask for the opinion on his own because he is not an elected official.

To be a gubernatorial candidate under the state's constitution an individual must have been a "citizen" of Louisiana for the past five years. Breaux is registered to vote in Maryland, which Republicans believe disqualifies him as a candidate. Democrats are seeking to clarify what citizenship in a state means, arguing that Breaux owns property in the state, on which he pays taxes.

Breaux is widely seen as the Democrats' strongest candidate for the seat, which is being vacated by Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Blanco announced last week that she would not seek a second term, bowing to the fact that her career had been irreparably damaged by her handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Before retiring from the Senate in 2004, Breaux spent more than three decades in Congress and left office with sky-high approval ratings. Still, even if Breaux gets the okay from Foti to run, his election is far from a sure thing. Republicans are extremely confident that their likely candidate -- Rep. Bobby Jindal -- can beat all comers.

A recent poll by Southern Media & Opinion Research showed Jindal with a surprisingly large lead -- 56 percent to 26 percent -- over Breaux.

Continuing his courtship of conservatives, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is running ads on the popular talk radio shows hosted by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

"My campaign is about leadership and optimism," Giuliani says in the ad. "We need strong leadership to stay on offense in the war against terrorists."

He also highlights his support for "supply-side policies and reduced government spending" to "keep the economy growing."

The commercial ends with a plug for his campaign Web site -- JoinRudy2008.com.

Over the past month, Giuliani has extended his lead over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in polls testing Republican presidential primary matchups, thanks in part to his continued strength among the party's most conservative voters. Within this crucial voting bloc, Giuliani's stewardship of New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks appears to be insulating him from attacks on his relatively liberal positions on social issues such as abortion and gay rights.

Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Tex.) underwent successful quadruple-bypass surgery Sunday in Houston and is expected to miss up to one month of congressional business as he recuperates.

Lampson went to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda last Friday for a routine checkup at which point "irregularities" were discovered and surgery was recommended, according to a release from Lampson's office.

"He'll remain under observation in the hospital for the next several days and should be released within the week," said spokesman Bobby Zafarnia, who added that Lampson is expected to make a full recovery.

After serving in Congress from 1997 to 2005, representing Texas's 9th District, Lampson won the open 22nd District seat of former representative Tom DeLay (R) in 2006. His Houston area district leans Republican, and Lampson is high on the GOP's target list for 2008.