A report yesterday from a trusted source has it that disgraced former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards is contemplating a run for the 6th District Congressional race this November.

The 6th District seat is coming open due to incumbent Bill Cassidy running against Mary Landrieu for the U.S. Senate. Currently, the field includes state senator Dan Claitor, whose campaign launch was marred by a controversy which erupted when he was quoted by the Times-Picayune as equating prospective candidate Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, with David Duke, and a pair of first-time candidates for political office in Paul Dietzel and Cassie Felder. All are Republicans; Edwards, who spent eight years in federal prison on racketeering charges stemming from his fourth and final term as governor of Louisiana, is a Democrat.

Our source says that the Edwards camp believes the field for the 6th District race is a weak one and can be beaten, and Anna Edwards (she’s the daughter who’s been divorced four times, not the daughter who was a Vegas showgirl) is the one spreading the story about a potential Congressional campaign.

Edwards has been quoted before as saying he could run for any office in Louisiana and win. This from October, while his reality TV show The Governor’s Wife was making its debut (it lasted only a few weeks before being canceled by A&E for lack of viewership)…

Now, Edwards might even be considering a return to politics. On his morning radio show Wednesday, Baton Rouge newsman Jim Engster played audio from an LSU event he and Edwards attended Friday, Oct. 25.

When asked whether he would consider running for political office in the future, Edwards had this to say:

“Lately, for some strange reason, I’m beginning to think it might be a nice thing to do. But, I’m not going to make the decision based upon that. I’m going to make the decision based on whether I think I can win and whether there’s a need for me because I don’t want to end what I consider to be a successful political career on a sad note. But I love this state and I think I could do better than what has been done. And if I saw the opportunity and I thought that people would warm up to it, I would consider it.”

To run for a Louisiana political office, Edwards would have to secure a pardon for his crimes. But a seat in Congress is a federal office and not subject to such a ban – Edwards would be eligible to run this year.