William “Cold Cash” Jefferson, D- LA. is out, beaten by a Republican
Holy Cao: Republican defeats Jefferson
Indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has lost his New Orleans-based Congressional seat to a little-known Republican attorney, Anh “Joseph” Cao.
With all precincts reporting, Cao has defeated Jefferson 50 to 47 percent. The AP has called the race for Cao.
Even with Jefferson’s ethical woes, his ouster comes as a huge shock. His New Orleans district is one of the most Democratic in the country, giving President Bush only 24 percent of the vote in 2004. And he hadn’t suffered at all politically since indicted for bribery in June 2007, comfortably defeating another Democrat in the Election Day primary.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole congratulated Cao and subtly referred to Jefferson’s legal woes in a statement.
“I would like to congratulate Congressman-elect Joseph Cao on his victory tonight and welcome him to the Republican Conference,” Cole said.
“Joseph ran an excellent campaign based on the issues that are important to Louisiana voters, including a steadfast commitment to bringing honor and integrity to public office.”
Cao will become the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress.