Editor’s Note: This column by Sam Hanna Jr. was first published the week of Dec. 25, 2017. It is timely today in light qualifying for the Monroe mayor’s race scheduled for Jan. 8-Jan. 10.

That didn’t take long.

A question I often ask myself is, “How does a property owner choose a realtor when he decides to sell”?

Removing Donald Trump from office before he can get re-elected is the only thing in Washington that Democrats and the national media really care about.

It’s a testament to Louisiana’s offbeat political culture and obscurant election regime that House Democrats could have any meaningful influence in the next legislative term starting in 2020.

We’ve all read the same statistics, and we’re all well aware that Louisiana more often than not ranks dead last in just about every ranking that purports to grade states on economic activity and quality of life.

If you’re a longtime reader or an occasional follower of Louisiana politics, then you’re likely aware that the state House has an upcoming election for speaker in January. In fact, you probably became aware of the 2020 internal leadership election back in 2016, when the current speaker was elected.

Since the beginning of the Ringside Politics TV and radio shows, we have enjoyed an annual Thanksgiving tradition of awarding our “Turkey of the Year” to recognize individuals who distinguished themselves in a particularly foolish way. It seems appropriate since turkeys are commonly regarded…

Louisiana voters turned out in large numbers this election cycle. Now, only a few weeks removed from a contentious and competitive election season, the question becomes what was the message these voters intended to deliver to elected officials by their votes?

The days seem to just fly by during the holiday season. Turkeys and touchdowns seem to fill the entire month of December. When I was a freshman at LSU living in the stadium dormatory, I remember keeping my suitcase packed and under my bunk from Thanksgiving until the Christmas break because …

Unbeknownst to the average citizen, there’s some serious politicking still going on Louisiana, some two weeks after voters had their say in the general election.

After going almost two years without selecting anyone to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — President Trump is making up for lost time with nine new recipients named since last November. Most are well known folks — Elvis Presley, Justice Antonin…

The goal of the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other Democratic Party leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives has been to use the impeachment inquiry to destroy President Donald Trump. They hope to impeach him, followed by conviction and removal from the U.S. Senate. Otherwise, t…

Louis Juchereau de St. Denis (duh-KNEE) was one of Louisiana’s most colorful characters. A French Canadian who explored much of Louisiana, he was an in-law of the Sieur de Iberville, who established the colony in 1699, and his younger brother Sieur de Bienville, who was our longest serving g…

Paint political phenomena with too broad of a brush and your risk erroneous analysis, which some observers did regarding Louisiana’s 2019 gubernatorial election.

Some folks are still sitting around trying to figure out how Gov. John Bel Edwards won a second term and shut down a challenge from Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone. Others are still wondering why the GOP secured a supermajority in the Senate but not in the House.

This is the week when we are reminded to pause from our, all consuming, busy schedules to remember, whatever our situation, how fortunate we are to be living in America.

Editor’s Note: This column was first published the week of Nov. 18, 2013. It was edited to reflect the passage of time.

How did Gov. John Bel Edwards win this year’s top race in Louisiana? Unlike previous cycles, which were soaked in twists and turns and mired by complex themes and players, Edwards pulled it off in a rather rudimentary A-to-B fashion.