While Bill Cassidy, John Fleming, Blake Miguez and others duke it out for the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race, there are three Democrats who have also entered the race.
The first to have entered was Jamie Davis, who announced his candidacy last month.
Davis is an elected member of the Democratic State Central Committee and had previously been elected to the Tensas Parish Police Jury.
“I’m really concerned about rural communities, because I come from a rural community,” Davis told Louisiana Radio Network. “They’re being left behind.”
One of Davis’ big concerns about rural communities is the effect that the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” will have on them.
“If things happen the way they anticipate, there are going to be 18 hospital closures in Louisiana; and there are three within 50 miles of my home,” says Davis. “I would have to drive a minimum of 70 miles…to get to a hospital.”
Davis says one of his biggest priorities is ensuring that quality health care is available to everyone, including those who live in rural areas.
“Health care shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code or where you live. Every family deserves a peace of mind,” Davis says. “There should be quality healthcare all over the state in any region, whether it’s rural or urban.”
With immigration dominating the national conversation, Davis says those who are legally going through the asylum system need to be treated better than how they’re currently being treated.
“Some people may even have homes and spouses. And they’ve applied for a green card, and it hasn’t been approved yet. Those people shouldn’t be deported,” says Davis. “Immigrants deserve due process; because originally, America was built on immigrants.”
If Davis advances to the general election, there’s no guarantee that he will face Cassidy, since he has a fierce primary challenge to fend off.
Last year, in the Senate Finance Committee, Cassidy, who’s a medical doctor by trade, cast the deciding vote that for all intents and purposes sealed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as secretary of Health and Human Services, advancing his nomination to the full Senate.
Davis plans on taking Cassidy to task for that vote should both secure their respective party nominations and advance to the November general election.
Davis quipped, “When science has proven that it works, why doesn’t it work when you have to make the President happy?”
Political consultant Tracie Burke and former Housing Authority of New Orleans Chief of Staff Jabarie Walker are the other two declared Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate.