U.S. SENATE La. Democrat adds name to list of retirees

John Breaux's decision gives the GOP a chance to widen its Senate majority.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Breaux, a centrist Louisiana Democrat and a 17-year veteran of the Senate, announced Monday that he will retire at the end of next year, becoming the fifth Senate Democrat from the South not to seek re-election.
The decision will rob the Senate of one of its consummate dealmakers and gives Republicans yet another opportunity in the GOP-leaning South to widen their narrow hold on the Senate. Republicans currently have a 51-48-1 majority.
"There comes a time in every career when it is time to step aside and let others step up and serve," Breaux said in a speech in Baton Rouge.
The announcement has broad implications, not only for Louisiana, but also for national politics and legislative efforts in the Senate.
Moderate-to-conservative Democrats still win statewide elections in Louisiana, but without Breaux on the ticket, the national Democratic Party will have to spend more resources in the state next year than it had planned. That could weaken party efforts in other states, such as Illinois and Oklahoma.
Political shift
The South, a Democratic bastion half a century ago, has become one of the two most Republican regions of the country. Of the 22 Senate seats from the South, Republicans hold 13 and Democrats nine. Five of those nine will be filled in open contests next year.
The other Democrats who have said they won't seek re-election are Zell Miller of Georgia, Ernest Hollings of South Carolina, John Edwards of North Carolina and Bob Graham of Florida. Retaining seats from Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina could be especially difficult for Democrats, because President Bush is strongly popular in those states.
"It continues to put Democrats on the defensive," said Nathan Gonzales, the political editor for the Rothenberg Political Report, a newsletter. "Before they can focus on regaining the majority, they have to hold on to their own seats."
In Louisiana, likely candidates for Breaux's seat would be Rep. Chris John, a four-term conservative Democrat, and Rep. David Vitter, a two-term Republican from New Orleans. Political strategists also are keeping an eye on Bobby Jindal, the 32-year-old Republican Wunderkind who lost a close race for governor last month.
If Breaux, 59, is replaced by another Democrat, he or she probably would continue Breaux's moderate-to-conservative tradition, with tilts to the state's oil interests and conservative social views.
History of negotiation
But it would be hard to replace Breaux's role as broker and negotiator. With Bush in the White House, Breaux has been a key player in four of the president's top legislative initiatives: the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, a Medicare prescription-drug benefit and a major energy bill awaiting Senate attention next month.
He was one of only two Democrats allowed in the Medicare negotiating room. He often referred to politics as "the art of the possible" and pressed his colleagues not to let "the perfect be the enemy of the good."
In 1981, after helping President Reagan pass spending cuts in exchange for favorable treatment of Louisiana's business interests, Breaux wryly observed: "My vote cannot be bought, but it can be rented."