Changes

Claitor entered private practice in Baton Rouge in 1990. He and his wife, the former Sharmaine Leblanc (also born 1961), have two sons, Sam and James Claitor. They are [[Roman Catholic]]s.<ref name=claitor/>​

Claitor entered private practice in Baton Rouge in 1990. He and his wife, the former Sharmaine Leblanc (also born 1961), have two sons, Sam and James Claitor. They are [[Roman Catholic]]s.<ref name=claitor/>​

 

==2009 special election==​

==2009 special election==​

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In the first round of special election balloting (not an actual primary but sometimes referred to as such by the media) held on March 7, 2009, a third candidate, Republican health-care consultant Laurinda Lege Calongne (born ca. 1964), polled 4,511 votes (27 percent) to Claitor's 6,509 votes (39 percent) and Domingue's 5,760 votes (34 percent), according to official returns from all 103 precincts.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 7, 2009.</ref> Colongne then threw her backing to Claitor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politicker.com/louisiana/tags/dan-claitor|author=Marsha Shuler|title=Calongne endorses Claitor in runoffpublisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref> Despite heavy spending, much of it from his own sources, Domingue scored no inroads in the second race. His campaign had spent $429,709, or nearly three-fourths of its funds, as of March 15, the last day that spending had to be reported to the office of the Louisiana secretary of state. Claitor spent $154,825.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/42484362.html?index=1&c=y|author=Marsha Shuler|title=It's Claitor!: Dominigue gains only 34 percent of the votepublisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>​

In the first round of special election balloting (not an actual primary but sometimes referred to as such by the media) held on March 7, 2009, a third candidate, Republican health-care consultant Laurinda Lege Calongne (born ca. 1964), polled 4,511 votes (27 percent) to Claitor's 6,509 votes (39 percent) and Domingue's 5,760 votes (34 percent), according to official returns from all 103 precincts.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 7, 2009.</ref> Colongne then threw her backing to Claitor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politicker.com/louisiana/tags/dan-claitor|author=Marsha Shuler|title=Calongne endorses Claitor in runoffpublisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref> Despite heavy spending, much of it from his own sources, Domingue scored no inroads in the second race. His campaign had spent $429,709, or nearly three-fourths of its funds, as of March 15, the last day that spending had to be reported to the office of the Louisiana secretary of state. Claitor spent $154,825.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/42484362.html?index=1&c=y|author=Marsha Shuler|title=It's Claitor!: Dominigue gains only 34 percent of the votepublisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>​

One of the issues in the campaign centered on Dominigue's having missed casting his ballot in nine of the last twenty elections in East Baton Rouge Parish, whereas Claitor had voted in all of the past thirty such contests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/40602957.html|title=A Look at the Candidates' Voting Record|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Morning Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>​

One of the issues in the campaign centered on Dominigue's having missed casting his ballot in nine of the last twenty elections in East Baton Rouge Parish, whereas Claitor had voted in all of the past thirty such contests.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/40602957.html|title=A Look at the Candidates' Voting Record|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Morning Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>

 

===Jindal's role===​

===Jindal's role===​​

Governor Jindal actively supported Domingue, whose family had donated some $118,500 to Jindal's previous campaigns and transition committees. Jindal's endorsement of Dominigue was his first in a legislative race since he became governor in January 2008. Jindal had earlier indicated that he would not endorse candidates in legislative or statewide elections, but he did support then State Treasurer [[John Neely Kennedy]]'s unsuccessful Republican challenge to Senator Mary Landrieu on November 4, 2008.<ref name=advo>{{cite web|url=​http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/42567717.html?index=14&c=y|author=Marsha Shuler|title=Claitor win called Jindal's losspublisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>​ Kennedy, however, rebounded to victory in 2016 in the Senate race to choose a successor to Republican [[David Vitter]].

Governor Jindal actively supported Domingue, whose family had donated some $118,500 to Jindal's previous campaigns and transition committees. Jindal's endorsement of Dominigue was his first in a legislative race since he became governor in January 2008. Jindal had earlier indicated that he would not endorse candidates in legislative or statewide elections, but he did support then State Treasurer [[John Neely Kennedy]]'s unsuccessful Republican challenge to Senator Mary Landrieu on November 4, 2008.<ref name=advo>{{cite web|url=​

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/42567717.html?index=14&c=y|title=Marsha Shuler, "Claitor win called Jindal's loss"|publisher=''Baton Rouge Morning Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>​ Kennedy, however, rebounded to victory in 2016 in the Senate race to choose a successor to Republican [[David Vitter]].

Jindal also did not openly support Republican former U.S. Representative Clyde Cecil Holloway (1943-2016), who emerged as the frontrunner and winner following the withdrawal of the opposing candidate in the special election held on April 4, 2009, for the District 4 seat on the regulatory Louisiana Public Service Commission.<ref>''[[Moon Griffon|The [[Moon Griffon Show]],'' April 1, 2009</ref> Nor would Jindal endorse the 2010 reelection of U.S. Senator David Vitter, who previously held the House seat that Jindal himself occupied from 2005 to 2008.​

Jindal also did not openly support Republican former U.S. Representative Clyde Cecil Holloway (1943-2016), who emerged as the frontrunner and winner following the withdrawal of the opposing candidate in the special election held on April 4, 2009, for the District 4 seat on the regulatory Louisiana Public Service Commission.<ref>''[[Moon Griffon|The Moon Griffon Show]],'' April 1, 2009.</ref> Nor would Jindal endorse the 2010 reelection of U.S. Senator David Vitter, who previously held the House seat that Jindal himself occupied from 2005 to 2008.​

Kirby Goidel, an LSU political analyst, interpreted the senatorial results as "baffling" and a “loss” for Jindal. "He’s irritated some people in the community, and legislators are thinking he [Jindal] could not win in a Republican race. You had a Republican-leaning district, a Republican race and not carrying that after you endorse. I don’t think there’s much ambiguity."<ref name=advo/>​

Kirby Goidel, an LSU political analyst, interpreted the senatorial results as "baffling" and a “loss” for Jindal. "He’s irritated some people in the community, and legislators are thinking he [Jindal] could not win in a Republican race. You had a Republican-leaning district, a Republican race and not carrying that after you endorse. I don’t think there’s much ambiguity."<ref name=advo/>​

 

==Claitor as senator==​

==Claitor as senator==​

Senator Claitor calls himself a "constructive conservative" and "a team player with an [[Independent]] approach".<ref name=claitor/> Jindal met with Claitor three days after the election at a reception for then State Senate President Joel Chaisson, I, of Destrehan in St. Charles Parish, and promised to work with the new senator. He invited Claitor to the governor's office to discuss upcoming legislative matters. Claitor's primary interest in the Senate was his advocacy for LSU-related issues.<ref name=April12>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/42861882.html|title=Politics for April 12, 2009|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>

Senator Claitor calls himself a "constructive conservative" and "a team player with an [[Independent]] approach".<ref name=claitor/> Jindal met with Claitor three days after the election at a reception for then State Senate President Joel Chaisson, I, of Destrehan in St. Charles Parish, and promised to work with the new senator. He invited Claitor to the governor's office to discuss upcoming legislative matters. Claitor's primary interest in the Senate was his advocacy for LSU-related issues.<ref name=April12>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/42861882.html|title=Politics for April 12, 2009|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>

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Senator Claitor calls himself a "constructive conservative" and "a team player with an [[Independent]] approach," and promised to work with the new senator. He invited Claitor to the governor's office to discuss upcoming legislative matters. Claitor's primary interest in the Senate has been as an advocate for LSU-related issues.<ref name=April12>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/42861882.html|title=Politics for April 12, 2009|publisher=''Baton Rouge Morning Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>​

Senator Claitor calls himself a "constructive conservative" and "a team player with an [[Independent]] approach," and promised to work with the new senator. He invited Claitor to the governor's office to discuss upcoming legislative matters. Claitor's primary interest in the Senate has been as an advocate for LSU-related issues.<ref name=April12>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/42861882.html|title=Politics for April 12, 2009|publisher=''Baton Rouge Morning Advocate''|accessdate=April 18, 2009}}</ref>​

 

Claitor took time from his congressional race to file suit to overturn the $55,000 annual increase in retirement benefits approved by the legislature on behalf of Mike Edmonson, then the superintendent of  the Louisiana State Police and a Jindal appointee. On September 16, 2014, Judge Janice Clark of the 19th Judicial District in Baton Rouge, declared the "Edmonson Act," as it became known in the media after its passage in July 2014, unconstitutional because it impacted only two persons. The Louisiana State Police Retirement System Board offered no rebuttal to the suit Claitor filed, and the provision of the law impacting Edmonson and a second state police employee was quickly struck down by the judge. Jindal himself said he did not know that the amendment he signed was written to impact only two persons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/09/edmonson_act_declared_unconsti.html|title='Edmonson Act' declared unconstitutional in state court|author=Cole Avery|publisher=''The New Orleans Times-Picayune''|date=September 16, 2014|accessdate=September 17, 2014}}</ref>​

Claitor took time from his congressional race to file suit to overturn the $55,000 annual increase in retirement benefits approved by the legislature on behalf of Mike Edmonson, then the superintendent of  the Louisiana State Police and a Jindal appointee. On September 16, 2014, Judge Janice Clark of the 19th Judicial District in Baton Rouge, declared the "Edmonson Act," as it became known in the media after its passage in July 2014, unconstitutional because it impacted only two persons. The Louisiana State Police Retirement System Board offered no rebuttal to the suit Claitor filed, and the provision of the law impacting Edmonson and a second state police employee was quickly struck down by the judge. Jindal himself said he did not know that the amendment he signed was written to impact only two persons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/09/edmonson_act_declared_unconsti.html|title='Edmonson Act' declared unconstitutional in state court|author=Cole Avery|publisher=''The New Orleans Times-Picayune''|date=September 16, 2014|accessdate=September 17, 2014}}</ref>​

 

On September 19, 2014, Claitor, Lenar Whitney, Paul Dietzel, and two other Republican congressional candidates, Garret Graves and Trey Thomas, all received the "Outstanding Family Advocate Award" from the Louisiana Family Forum.<ref>"End of Week: Victory achieves lifetime award!", Louisiana Family Forum, September 19, 2004.</ref>

On September 19, 2014, Claitor, Lenar Whitney, Paul Dietzel, and two other Republican congressional candidates, Garret Graves and Trey Thomas, all received the "Outstanding Family Advocate Award" from the Louisiana Family Forum.<ref>"End of Week: Victory achieves lifetime award!", Louisiana Family Forum, September 19, 2004.</ref>