State Senator Rick Edmonds is accusing congressional opponent Blake Miguez of making conflicting claims about where he lives. A New Iberia resident has filed a complaint with the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office alleging Miguez does not live in the state Senate district he represents. If that allegation is substantiated, the state constitution would require Miguez to vacate his senate seat. Edmonds says Miguez’s residency claims raise questions about trust.
“This is not merely a paperwork dispute; it’s a fundamental question of honesty and eligibility and, most of all, public trust,” Edmonds said.
The Attorney General’s Office has 20 days to investigate the complaint.
Edmonds and Miguez are among ten candidates running for the newly drawn Sixth Congressional District, which includes Baton Rouge. Miguez has said he has lived in Baton Rouge since 1999, while also maintaining a home in New Iberia, where his family’s offshore oil and gas business is based. Edmonds says Miguez cannot say he lives in Baton Rouge while also saying he resides in Senate District 22 which includes parts of Iberia, Lafayette and St. Martin parishes.
“If he’s legally domiciled in New Iberia, then he must explain why he presented himself to the Sixth District voters as someone who’s lived here for decades,” Edmonds noted.
Miguez’s campaign is firing back, accusing Edmonds of actually living in Miguez’s campaign is firing back, accusing Edmonds of actually living in Mississippi, where he pastors at a church in McComb. Edmonds says he lives in Baton Rouge and drives to Mississippi to preach on Sundays, where he pastors at a church in McComb. Edmonds says he lives in Baton Rouge and drives to Mississippi to preach on Sundays.
“You can come to my home, into my closet; and I’ll hold another press conference, and you can see where every suit, tie, shoe and everything else that I own. I have nothing to hide,” Edmonds stated.
Both Edmonds and Miguez are Republicans.
The Sixth District race will be decided in a November 3rd jungle primary, with a December 12th runoff if no candidate receives a majority.