Last night, President Trump endorsed State Senator Blake Miguez in the District 5 U.S. House race, just one day after Miguez announced his withdrawal from the U.S. Senate race to run for the House. ULM political science professor Joshua Stockley says when he heard that, his jaw dropped to the ground.
“I am generally stunned, absolutely surprised, that Trump would endorse someone so early. Especially when we’re looking at a crowded Republican field,” Stockley said.
Stockley says Trump’s endorsement of Miguez will almost certainly make that crowded field significantly less so.
“There are a lot of Republicans still to announce, and this endorsement has the effect to alter that, to some degree,” Stockley noted.
Miguez lives in New Iberia, which is quite a distance from the Fifth District boundary. By law, candidates do not have to live in the district they run in; they just need to live in the state. Still, Stockley says it’s in their best interest if they do.
“How would you know the true pulse of a district, if you don’t live in that district? And what does it say about a district, that they would be willing to elect someone who does not reside in that district?” Stockley asked.
Other Republicans who have confirmed their intention to enter the race include state senators Stewart Cathey of Monroe and Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge State Representative Dixon McMakin and Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell of Monroe. Religious scholar Larry Foy, who has never held elected office, announced his candidacy as a Democrat before Julia Letlow launched her Senate run, abandoning her House re-election bid.