— EBR MAYOR LOOKS VULNERABLE: A debate among candidates to be the next mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish set for Wednesday has been postponed. When the campaign cranks up again, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome has some work to do to ensure her reelection, suggested Albert Samuels, who chairs the political science department at Southern University. A recent poll the Baton Rouge Area Chamber commissioned pegged Broome’s support at 29 percent, with former Rep. Ted James (a fellow Democrat) and Sid Edwards, a Republican, tied at 23 percent. The race appears headed for a runoff, and the two-term incumbent’s poll numbers suggest vulnerability, Samuels told the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday. James has outraised Broome and has the endorsement of the East Baton Rouge Democratic Party’s executive committee. Edwards is a local football coach who is making his first run for office with the support of the parish GOP. 

— SOS ASKS LEGES FOR ELECTION HELP: Secretary of State Nancy Landry has urged legislators to consider working as election commissioners this year, since they won’t be on the ballot. “You’ll feel more confident in our elections,” she told the House Appropriations Committee on Friday. “We encourage all of you to sign up.” Officials have been struggling to attract enough commissioners to work the polls, which is partly attributed to older workers not wanting to deal with threats and intimidation. 

— LANDRY POACHED AG’S OFFICE: Also at Friday’s Appropriations hearing, Chief Deputy Attorney General Larry Frieman said his office has 69 vacancies, many of which can be attributed to the office’s former leader. When Jeff Landry moved over to the governor’s office, he immediately took 35 people with him, a number that quickly grew to 56, Frieman said. “Basically, Gov. Landry took 56 people with him from our agency,” he said. “That created a very large vacancy problem for us.” The office has 535 allotted positions, of which 466 are filled with full time employees. 

— LOBBYIST CONFERENCE SET FOR NEXT MONTH: The Association of Louisiana Lobbyists will hold its 2024 Annual Conference on October 9 at The 121 (121 Convention Street in Baton Rouge). Speakers are expected to include Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson on tax reform and William Fish on utilizing AI in lobbying, among others. (More info) 

— LABI FEDERAL OUTREACH: The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry conducts federal outreach tours that bring together members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation and key federal stakeholders to discuss a wide array of policy priorities. Participants have an opportunity to discuss issues affecting Louisiana businesses and get an inside-the-beltway perspective on upcoming legislative initiatives. What are LABI members hoping to focus on this year? Jim Patterson, LABI’s vice president of government relations, provides a preview in an exclusive column for tomorrow’s edition of Beltway Beat.