When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Hunter S. Thompson

07 December 2008

Joseph Cao elected to the House

Meet Joseph Cao, the man who just replaced (by special election) disgraced US Congressman William Jefferson (D-Louisiana) in the U.S. House of Representatives:

Born in war-ravaged Vietnam, Cao fled to the United States when he was 8, learned English, earned degrees in physics and philosophy, and joined the Catholic seminary. When his views on how best to serve the poor changed, Cao went to law school, began a practice specializing in immigration, settled in Venetian Isles and started a family.

In his bid to unseat Rep. William Jefferson in the 2nd Congressional District, however, Cao must try to overcome three tall hurdles: He's not a Democrat, he's not black and he has never held public office. Indeed, in his only other election bid, Cao, running then as an independent, finished fifth of six candidates.

Though Jefferson's star has dimmed considerably since federal authorities charged him in a wide-ranging bribery scheme, the nine-term incumbent remains a force in local politics.

New Orleans Times-Picayune via nola.com - Newcomer Joseph Cao hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. William Jefferson

See also:

The Christian Science Monitor: Scandal-Plagued Louisiana Congressman Ousted by Little-Known Republican

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