Louisiana’s congressional candidates float ideas for affordable gas, groceries

Voters are focusing on the high price of gas, groceries and other affordability issues ahead of the Nov. 3 election, according to political experts and national polling.

“With $4/gallon gas and $6/gallon diesel, cost of living and affordability are first and foremost on voters’ minds in every poll I do,” John Couvillon, who runs one of the most prominent Louisiana political polling firms, JMC Analytics and Polling, wrote in an email.

Democrats and Republicans running for Congress in Louisiana have different approaches to bringing down the cost of living.

The Illuminator interviewed candidates for the U.S. Senate race and in the competitive 5th District and 6th District races about rising living expenses. President Donald Trump has suggested the issue of affordability is “a hoax started by Democrats.”

Democrats in Louisiana’s congressional race say ending the Iran war Trump started and removing tariffs he has imposed will reduce prices. Republican candidates suggest resolving the war Russian President Vladimir Putin started in Ukraine would control costs.

Couvillon said Republicans are more likely to be blamed for the high cost of living in this election cycle, just as the Democrats were in 2024.

“When you have unified control of government like the Republicans do, it makes it easy for voters to punish them,” he said.

End the war, but which war?

U.S. Senate candidate Jamie Davis, 6th District candidates Chauna Banks and Pat Forbes, and 5th District candidates Pat Moore and Antonio Wilson — all Democrats — said the best way to immediately bring down the price of gas and other goods is to end the war with Iran.

“It’s very simple. We started a war that accomplished nothing but raising gas and diesel prices,” said Forbes, who oversaw disaster recovery programs for Louisiana before retiring from state government in the Office of Community Development.

The Iran war, which Trump launched in February, has disrupted the transportation of petroleum through the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East, driving up American fuel prices.

U.S. Senate candidate Congresswoman Julia Letlow, 6th District candidate state Sen. Rick Edmonds and 5th District candidate state Sen. Michael Echols, all Republicans, support the Iran war, saying it will help improve national security.

Letlow, who currently represents the 5th District, blames the Biden administration for inflation. Most economists attribute the broad increase in costs in goods and services to global factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and energy supply, but also say Biden policy has contributed to the issue.

“Republicans inherited an affordability crisis, and we’ve been working with President Trump to turn that around,” Letlow said in a written statement from her campaign staff.

Echols and fellow 5th district Republican candidate state Sen. Stewart Cathey said the Iran war shouldn’t necessarily be the focus. Both said Trump and Congress should be prioritizing an end the war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022, to help bring gas prices down.

Their comments about the Ukraine war mirror those Trump has made as he tries to deflect blame for high gasoline prices away from his decision to go to war with Iran.

The U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia have embargoes on most Russian oil and refined petroleum imports, though Trump announced a deal Friday with Putin that pauses sanctions for six months on Russian diesel fuel.

Edmonds and fellow 6th District candidate Lindsay “Rubia” Garcia, a Democrat and former teacher, suggested Congress suspend federal fuel taxes to bring down the cost of consumer goods. The U.S. government collects 18.4 cents per gallon of gas and 24.4 cents for diesel.

“Letlow, Cathey, Echols and state Rep. Gabe Firment, a Republican 5th District candidate, said Congress needs to reduce government regulations to enable an expansion of U.S. oil refining capacity so the country is less dependent on foreign countries for energy production.”

Democrats, Republicans split on Trump tariffs

Four Democrats — Davis, Banks, Forbes and Wilson — said Congress must also end tariffs Trump has put in place to bring down prices for housing and consumer goods.

“It’s basically just a tax. We all have to pay it,” Davis, a former Tensas Parish Police Juror, said of the tariffs.

Letlow, Echols and Firment  support Trump’s tariffs, which they said will protect American workers and business owners in the long run.

“Our ag producers are getting ripped off because China and others are dumping products,” Echols said.

Garcia split from the other Democrats in saying that she would back some tariffs, but only in cases where the goal of the tariff was defined.

“I support targeted tariffs when there is a clear purpose, such as addressing unfair trade practices or protecting critical domestic industries and national security,” she wrote in an email.

Board of Regents chair Misti Cordell, a 5th District candidate, and state Sen. Blake Miguez, running in the 6th District, did not return phone calls for this report.