State Senator Cleo Fields finally endorsed fellow Democrat U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu in her bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
The long awaited announcement was made at a press conference on Tuesday at Field’s law firm in Baton Rouge.
Fields said prayers and a series of meetings with state Democratic Party Chairman Ben Jeffers and other party leaders both locally and nationally convinced him to back Landrieu.
“I have decided that it is important that Democrats close ranks and support the party nominee,” said Fields.
“I am grateful to have the support of Senator Fields in my re-election bid for Senate,” said Landrieu in a statement released on Tuesday. “Our campaign is picking up momentum every day and Senator Fields’ active involvement will benefit our efforts greatly.”
Fields said that he met with local and statewide volunteers to help with Landrieu’s campaign.
Fields also stated that Landrieu had not promised any money to finance his organization’s efforts.
“It’s a volunteer thing. This race is not about big budgets. It’s about big hearts,” said Fields.
This major endorsement from one of the most influential black politicians in the state could be the determining factor in rallying blacks to get out and vote on December 7.
“I have always been of the opinion that African-American voters in the Democratic Party, many times are taken for granted,” said Fields.
“Democratic candidates can not blame African-American voters for not being excited when they (Democratic candidates), vote like, sound like, and even campaign like Republicans.”
Fields also told reporters at the press conference that he’s become tired of Democratic candidates talking about how close they are to President Bush. He said he believes Landrieu’s campaign is now on the right track and is enthusiastically behind her re-election bid.
However there has been tension between the two political figures.
Many speculated that the reason why Fields didn’t endorse Landrieu in the primary election was due to the fact that she did not give Fields her support when he ran against Mike Foster for governor in 1995.
Fields even met with Governor Foster in September to urge him to run for the U.S. Senate seat against Landrieu.
After the November election ended in a run-off, Fields was one of many black lawmakers outspoken about Landrieu’s lack of support for the black community.
“My concerns have never been because Mary Landrieu didn’t support me in my bid for Governor,” said Fields. “I’m beyond that and I’m bigger than that, but I do think as Democrats we have to have a basic agenda and we have to be proud of that agenda and have to move forward.”
Landrieu’s opponent, State Elections Commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell also had trouble picking up endorsements from members of the Republican Party.
After finishing third in the primary election with 14 percent of the vote, three-term U.S. Representative John Cooksey refused to endorse Terrell because of an alleged “smear campaign” against him during the final days leading up to the primary election.
Governor Mike Foster even refused to endorse the Republican candidate in the early days of her runoff campaign. His announcement came last weekend and he appeared with her at a campaign fundraiser with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
