By Lisa Roland-Faust

lfaust@gannett.com

SHREVEPORT -- Shreveport Councilman James Green on Wednesday endorsed fellow Councilman Theron Jackson for the District 39 state Senate seat, taking stabs at opponent state Rep. Lydia Jackson along the way.

The endorsement by Green, who ran for the same seat in the Oct. 4 primary garnering about 10 percent of the vote, comes as the race for the position that covers the bulk of Shreveport and the rest of Caddo Parish heats up. The seat is held by long-time Sen. Greg Tarver, who announced his retirement earlier this year and has thrown his support to Theron Jackson.

Theron Jackson was thankful for Green's support and said he expects "one or two more significant endorsements in the next few days." He also stressed that he had nothing negative to say about his opponent nor her record.

"I run a positive campaign. I believe the voters can research Ms. Jackson's record and make their decisions without me directing them."

The support Theron Jackson is getting from high-profile local leaders has not deterred Lydia Jackson. "I have run only one other political race before ... and I was not the endorsed candidate in that one either. I am not the hand-picked candidate, but I believe I will be the people-picked candidate."

It is unclear how much help Green's endorsement could be for Theron Jackson, who has been considered a significant underdog since the five-person primary when Lydia Jackson received 47 percent of the vote.

"(Green) doesn't control those votes," political analyst Elliott Stonecipher said about the 10 percent of the people who voted for Green on Oct. 4. "It's not as if he just delivers 10 percent. It doesn't work that way."

Theron Jackson said he is not worried about his status. "I've always been an underdog. If you didn't have to climb uphill for it, wouldn't be worth winning."

Green said he chose Theron Jackson over Lydia Jackson "after praying and trusting God to direct me.

"Basically, I believe he's the best choice to represent the interest of the people of District 39. I also looked at both candidates very closely. At one time, I was leaning toward supporting Lydia. My decision became clear after looking at the facts of her voting record."

In a written release, Green cited as negatives Lydia Jackson's no votes on such issues as displaying the words "In God We Trust" in schools, allowing prayer in Bossier Parish schools and providing medical care to an infant born alive as a result of an abortion.

All of the bills mentioned eventually failed.

Lydia Jackson said in all cases she voted against the bills because they put the state at risk for lengthy litigation. She did vote for a bill by state Rep. Tony Perkins endorsing silent mediation in schools, she said.

"These bills direct precious resources from our schools, our classrooms and our teachers into litigation," Lydia Jackson said. "Louisiana is a poor state. We need to spend our limited resources on our people, our teachers, our infrastructure and on economic development. These cases can cost of us hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Green also accused Lydia Jackson of not "actively supporting" rural development funds; a charge she denied, saying she always has voted against amendments to do away with rural funds and supported measures to give rural communities a better chance at accessing state construction dollars.

Stonecipher called Green's tactic of going after Lydia Jackson's record "very, very valid and appropriate" and said it could help get the district's minority white vote to turn out on behalf of Theron Jackson.

Whites makes up about 36 percent of the district's registered voters. How they turn out and if they vote in block could sway the election, even though most watchers still say Lydia Jackson has a major advantage in the race.

"You'd have to get all the white votes in the district for Theron for him to be a real threat at this point," Stonecipher said. "I just don't see that happening. Lydia has done what Lydia needs to do in the white community to get support."

A major question remaining in this race, to be decided in just more than two weeks, is Tarver's role.

The political powerhouse in Northwest Louisiana continues to claim his anointed candidate ultimately will win, but Tarver won't go into details about what he's doing behind the scenes or publicly to help Theron Jackson.

Tarver did not play a role in Green's decision, according to both men, but is encouraging other endorsements, including that of Johnny Reid, who received about 13 percent of the vote in the primary. Reid has not made an endorsement and could not be reached immediately Wednesday night for comment.

Stonecipher said this is a critical race for Tarver, who has a long-time political and often tumultuous relationship with Lydia Jackson's father, former state Rep. Alphonse Jackson.

Whether Tarver has enough political and financial pull to tilt the scales against Lydia Jackson is questionable, Stonecipher said. "Greg's just pushing a chain uphill.

"In the final analysis, (Tarver) depends on his ability to mount a major street operation in the last couple of days of a campaign," Stonecipher said. "That takes a lot of money, and I don't see where he's going to get it from. Lydia has her own organization and a massive get-out-the-vote effort of her own."

Both candidates dismissed Tarver's role in the race.

"I know some people are trying to move this campaign off the issues and onto (Tarver)," Theron Jackson said. "I value everyone who is working on my campaign, and every one of them is significant to me."

Lydia Jackson also doesn't see Tarver's support of Theron Jackson as an overwhelming obstacle. "Sen. Tarver is a resident in Senate District 39. I would hope every citizen would want to take an active role in supporting and electing his or her candidate. But in the end, he, like every other registered voter in the district, has only one vote."