Monica Withdrawal "Bodes Well" for Charlie
St. John president not running for Congress
7.6.06
Houma Courier
By JEREMY ALFORD Courier Capitol Correspondent

BATON ROUGE -- St. John the Baptist Parish President Nickie Monica will not be a candidate in the 3rd Congressional District, leaving only one other major Republican to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon.

Melancon, D-Napoleonville, seems poised to face off against state Sen. Craig Romero, R-New Iberia, who was barely edged out of the runoff in 2004.

The congressional elections are scheduled for Nov. 7, with runoffs, if needed, Dec. 9.

Even though he declared in February that he would be a candidate, Monica has not returned phone calls seeking comments in recent weeks.

But before the weekend -- in a very quiet announcement -- Monica said he would be running for the Louisiana House of Representatives next year and not for the regional congressional seat this fall.

The 3rd Congressional District stretches across 13 parishes, including Terrebonne and Lafourche, and encompasses more than 200 miles of roads that are home to roughly 637,000 residents.

Political consultants have long worried that many habitual donors from the district would be tapped dry from either making gifts to charities or from Katrina- and Rita-related losses.

Additionally, there have been concerns about the number of voters, which Monica said he recognized.

St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, which once held a healthy pocket of voters, was devastated following Hurricane Katrina, sending the population fleeing for higher ground in the river and bayou parishes.

"Thousands of voters in the south and southeastern part of the district -- my base -- have been displaced," he said. "A great deal of support that I would have counted on in this election is just not there."

Monica also said his wife has been facing a serious illness and he would rather spend time helping with her medical treatment.

The decision could bode well for Melancon, who carried the River Parishes region during the 2004 race.

Last fall's hurricane season, however, has changed the face of modern campaigning in the 3rd Congressional District and there are many unknown variables.