Foti
BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti is not only facing a challenge to his office from Republican Royal Alexander, but his spot on the Democratic ballot from the hard-charging James "Buddy" Caldwell.
A recent report from the New Orleans Times-Picayune shows that Caldwell has received $272,000 for his campaign since Sept. 11 as he prepares for the Oct. 20 primary election against Foti. Helping his cause were Foti's controversial accusations against three medical professionals.
Foti tried unsuccessfully to indict Dr. Anna Pou on charges that she unlawfully euthanized terminal patients after Hurricane Katrina. He also was not able to convince a jury to convict Sal and Mabel Mangano, owners of a nursing home in which 35 patients died because of flooding.
Pou's relatives, the report says, have donated nearly $40,000 to Caldwell since Sept. 11. In the same time frame, Foti has received $44,850 and Alexander $31,000.
Still, Foti holds an overall advantage. He began the year with $1 million already in his account, then added $217,000. The report says he has spent more than $920,000 campaigning.
Caldwell, meanwhile, has totaled $588,000 and added more than $300,000 in loans -- mostly personal loans, the report says.
Alexander started out with $311,405 in the first fundraising period and has added less than $150,000 since July, it adds.