Why the Louisiana Democratic Party switched its endorsement in 5th District race

More details have emerged behind the Louisiana Democratic Party’s decision to rescind its original endorsement for the open 5th Congressional District seat. After first giving its official support to state Rep. Pat Moore of Monroe, the party is now backing Antonio Wilson of Tallulah. 

State Party Chairman Randal Gaines said in an interview Wednesday the initial endorsement of Moore at an Aug. 30 meeting of the Democratic State Central Committee was an error. Party leaders initially thought Moore had won a majority of the endorsement votes from the committee at the meeting. Gaines said they later realized she had won the most votes — but not the majority needed — because a few committee members had voted not to endorse anyone in the 5th District race. 

“The initial endorsement of Pat Moore was premature based on the fact that four people voted to not endorse, and she didn’t get 50% of the votes,” Gaines said. 

When the committee vote was retaken with only Moore and Wilson as options, Wilson emerged as the victor. The second endorsement vote was conducted remotely, Gaines said.

Wilson’s campaign announced his endorsement Sept. 16, more than two weeks after the party’s initial announcement about Moore receiving its backing. 

“The party understands that they made a mistake and they corrected the mistake,” Wilson said in an interview this week. 

A third Democrat in the race, Bunkie resident and attorney Dan McKay, also sought the party’s endorsement but did not advance to the runoff round of voting with Moore or Wilson. 

Moore typically would have had an advantage over Wilson in the endorsement race because she has been an elected official for several years. She has served in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2019 and was a member of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury from 2007 to 2019. 

Wilson, who owns a construction company, has never held an elected government office but has attempted three times to run for mayor in Tallulah, he said.

Yet Moore has taken stances as a legislator that are unpopular with the Democratic Party. She has voted for legislation to prevent transgender people from participating in school sports, and she has opposed exceptions to Louisiana’s strict abortion ban to allow women to terminate a pregnancy that resulted from rape or incest. 

Moore said  she finds it difficult to support the abortion ban exceptions for rape and incest because she was conceived as the result of a rape. Her mother was 14 when gave birth to her and couldn’t parent Moore after the trauma, she said in an interview Wednesday.

“She could not have a relationship with me. She couldn’t love me, touch me and name me but she gave me life,”  Moore said. “She let my great grandmother raise me.”

But Gaines said many members of the Democratic State Central Committee are unwilling to support a candidate who does not support abortion rights and transgender rights. 

“My party members are typically very consistent with standing behind and supporting the national party platform,” he said.

Moore said the endorsement process has left voters confused about who the party is backing in the race.

Wilson also has had his own issues that should give voters pause, she added.

Wilson has been kicked off the ballot twice after his residency was challenged in the Tallulah mayoral elections in 2019 and again this year. In both cases, judges said Wilson failed to provide evidence he had lived in the city long enough to run for the office.

In an interview Wednesday, Wilson said he is a full-time resident of Louisiana and lives in Tallulah. He showed a reporter a copy of his driver’s license and utility bills for a Tallulah address.

Wilson said no one has challenged his residency in the 5th District race. He said the confusion arises from the fact that his construction company is still based in Alabama even though he moved back to Tallulah.

Tallulah officials challenged his residency in the mayoral races because he was in a dispute with several of them over the ongoing drinking water crisis in the city, Wilson said. 

Moore said Democratic State Central Committee members should have considered Wilson’s previous residency issues before he received the party’s backing.