Wayne Parent is Russell Long Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Louisiana State University. He is a frequent commentator on national and Louisiana politics for the media, including Nightline, CBS Sunday Morning, All Things Considered, Voice of America Radio, CNN News, New York Times, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, and U.S. News and World Report. He is the coeditor of The Louisiana Field Guide: Understanding Life in the Pelican State.