On the first day of qualifying for the closed party primaries, six Republicans have qualified for the ballot in the Fifth Congressional District. That’s the seat being vacated by Julia Letlow as she’s running for U.S. Senate. Among the six who qualified yesterday was the man who President Trump endorsed, State Senator Blake Miguez, who says he will be running on his record of conservative legislation.
“I banned sanctuary cities in Louisiana. I passed Constitutional Carry, given Louisiana’s strong 2nd Amendment rights. I led the fight to make sure that men stay out of women’s sports and girls’ bathrooms. I worked hard to secure our elections by banning Zuckerbucks,” Miguez said.
Miguez was originally going to run for U.S. Senate but changed gears when Trump endorsed Letlow in that race, setting off a chain of events. Miguez says he will continue fighting for President Trump’s agenda on behalf of the people of Louisiana.
“I’ve never been afraid to stand up for Louisiana, or the “America First” agenda. And I don’t plan on backing down from the fight when I get to the national level,” Miguez said.
A lot has been made of the fact that Miguez lives in New Iberia, which isn’t close to the boundaries of the Fifth District – it’s important to note that under federal law, U.S. House members are not required to live in the district that they serve in. Still, that’s not stopping his opponents from hammering him on that fact, including Rick Edmonds.
“I stand with the sheriff in St. Helena Parish, or someone in Springville or Albany, or someone in Hammond, or someone in Monroe; our great friends in Winnsboro. I know this district,” Edmonds said.
Edmonds is a state senator from Baton Rouge; he says he will fight for Louisiana values in Washington.
“There’s no question that so many of our values that we believe in, with our whole heart, are under complete attack in this country. And somebody has to stand up and I echo the words of President Trump: ‘Fight, fight, fight,"” Edmonds said.
Another candidate who qualified yesterday is Misti Cordell, who’s currently the chairwoman of the Board of Regents. She says it doesn’t concern her that President Trump’s endorsement went to someone else.
“It hasn’t deterred me one bit. This race is not my consolation prize. As far as the endorsement from President Trump, he just hasn’t had the opportunity to meet me yet,” Cordell said.
Along with Baton Rouge, the Fifth District also includes northeast Louisiana, which Cordell says has unique needs – and since she’s from northeast Louisiana, she’s the one best suited to represent the district – not someone who lives in New Iberia.
“Our hub in Ouachita Parish has been carved off by career politicians, and it’s proof that they really don’t understand what our needs are in that area,” Cordell explained.
Austin Magee, Michael Mebruer and Sammy Wyatt have also qualified for the Republican primary. Qualifying ends tomorrow afternoon.