Louisiana’s US House candidates in limbo continue their campaigns

Despite Louisiana’s top elections official saying the ballots won’t count, U.S. House candidates in Louisiana are still urging voters to check the box for them during the early voting period that began Saturday.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry issued an emergency order Thursday to call off the May 16 party primary elections for the state’s six House seats. His directive came a day after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the map for those districts an illegal gerrymander based the race of voters.

Several lawsuits have been filed to block Landry’s order and keep the election moving forward, but so far, none have been successful.

“Even though the governor is telling you those races have been suspended, if you see my name on the ballot, vote for me,” said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, who was supposed to face challenger Renada “Honey” Collins in the 2nd District primary. 

Other U.S. House candidates who qualified for the primary also haven’t let up on campaigning, even though they don’t know where new district lines might be drawn or when the election might happen. State lawmakers, currently in session through June 1, are expected to redraw the state’s congressional map, by eliminating one or both majority-Black districts.

One of  the vulnerable seats, in the 6th District, belongs to U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, who still held a campaign fundraiser Thursday night in downtown Baton Rouge, just hours after the governor canceled the elections.

Candidates for the 5th Congressional District, the state’s most competitive U.S. House race, also continued their election efforts despite the governor’s order. 

A large campaign sign for state Rep. Mike Echols, a Monroe Republican, still stood outside an early voting location in Livingston Parish. In an interview Thursday, Echols had just left a fundraiser and said he would continue stumping parish to parish and go ahead with three campaign events he had scheduled for Saturday.

“I’m still running no matter what the makeup of the district is,” Echols said.

State Sen. Rick Edmonds, a Baton Rouge Republican also running in the 5th District, said he would also continue to court voters. 

“I’m running. Period,” Edmonds said. “It doesn’t matter what number [district] they give me.” 

However, 5th District candidates with fewer campaign resources said the governor’s decision to cancel the elections left them confused.

Dan McKay, a Democrat from Bunkie, said he didn’t receive official word from the state about the election being called off until 1:15 Friday afternoon, less than a day before early voting started. McKay received an email from the secretary of state’s office saying his name would still appear on the ballot but votes for him would not be counted.

McKay said he wonders if he will have to requalify and pay nearly $2,300 in fees again, like when he signed up to run the first time.

Jessee Fleenor of Loranger, another Democrat seeking the 5th District seat, said he wants clarification about whether he would have to qualify again to run. His campaign spent money getting campaign materials printed with the May 16 election date on them that now can’t be used.

“We have been told that our votes just won’t be counted, which is just a crazy thing to read on an official government document,” Fleenor said after receiving the same email Friday afternoon as McKay. 

Secretary of State Nancy Landry declined to comment on whether the decision to cancel the elections would require candidates to qualify to run for office again or pay new filing fees. Her staff said it was unable to provide that information because of ongoing lawsuits over the election.

Jay Dardenne, Louisiana’s secretary of state from 2006-10, said he doesn’t think there is a way around having a new round of qualifying for the House candidates, particularly because the district lines are likely to change.

“I think you still have to reopen qualifying. I think you are going to have to start over again,” Dardenne said.