The increasingly damning news about Rep. William Jefferson hasn’t hurt his reelection prospects. The Times-Picayune reports:

Simple logic dictates that U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, who sits squarely in the cross hairs of a sprawling federal corruption investigation, should be considered politically vulnerable as the fall election season draws near.

But with the deadline to sign up for the Nov. 7 congressional race less than three weeks away, the silence on the campaign trail is deafening. In fact, the embattled eight-term New Orleans Democrat has drawn only one announced opponent, a political unknown.

Democrats are keeping quiet until Jefferson is indicted: some say it's loyalty, others say they can't raise the money to fight him. Republicans don't have much of a chance in the overwhelmingly Democratic district. Voters appreciate the money his seniority lets him bring back to the hurricane-battered area.

The only thing Jefferson’s running against is the FBI. He's got an unlikely ally in that battle: House Speaker Dennis Hastert. The Republican representative is challenging the order allowing the FBI to examine the documents they took in the raid of Jefferson's office.