State Reps. Pat Moore, Gabe Firment advance to 5th District runoff

A glut of Monroe-area Republicans on the 5th Congressional District ballot opened the door for a Democrat from the city and a Central Louisiana lawmaker to claim the top two spots in Tuesday’s primary election.  

State Rep. Pat Moore, who received and then lost the Louisiana Democratic Party’s endorsement in the race, led the nine-candidate field with 18% of the vote. Her Louisiana House colleague, Rep. Gabe Firment, finished second with 17% to earn the other spot in the Dec. 12 runoff.  

The winner will represent a district anchored in Northeast Louisiana that reaches into the central part of the state, down along the Mississippi border and into portions of East Baton Rouge and the Florida Parishes.

Moore and Firment were both elected to the Louisiana Legislature in 2019, and both have backgrounds in the insurance business. Moore, who was on the Ouachita Parish Police Jury from 2007-19, is retired, while Firment owns a claims consulting business.

Notably falling short in the race were two other Monroe candidates: Misti Cordell, the Board of Regents chair who Gov. Jeff Landry endorsed, and state Rep. Michael Echols, who served a term on the Monroe City Council before being elected to the legislature the same year as Moore and Firment. 

Echols, by far, led the field in fundraising at $3.9 million and spent $2.3 million on the election, according to Federal Election Commission figures. Both figures are five times more than Cordell, who had the second largest war chest, reported.

The Democratic State Central Committee mistakenly gave Moore its endorsement before realizing she didn’t receive the majority backing from its members. The party then voted again and backed Antonio Wilson, a contractor from Tallulah.

Moore’s anti-abortion views also created friction within the party.

This is a developing story.