Boustany and Landry battle to represent Dist. 3

U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany and Jeff Landry are keeping individual strategies close to their chests while making final pitches for representation of the new 3rd Congressional District from Louisiana.

As the top finishers from a Nov. 6 primary field of five candidates, the two Republican members of Congress will, as expected, soon learn who will keep his job of taking concerns from 10 parishes to Washington for the next two years.

Legislation presented by Landry during his initial term in office includes the Coast Guard Authorization Bill. “This is something that very important to the maritime industry in Louisiana,” he said.

Landry has been a strong proponent for full resumption of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. He also spearheaded safety measures requiring available resources for immediate response to oil platform accidents.

“What’s more important than legislation is what we are not doing,” Landry said. “What we are not doing is leading. What we are not doing is giving the American people an idea of what it takes to govern. What we are not doing is reducing the debt. What e are not doing is creating jobs.”

Landry said that leadership is essential to address national debt and spending. “Tax increases are not going to get us far down the road until we address the spending. Good leadership is doing the right thing not for yourself, but the right thing for the American people.”

Landry has openly criticized his opponent as acting one way in Washington and another at home, but prides himself on consistency.

Boustany, on the other hand, said he is running on his track record of successful legislation for Louisiana.

“I’ve passed legislation going back to my first year in office,” he said. “I laid forth a first-time coastal restoration plan for southwest Louisiana. We are in the second phase of the coastal restoration and hurricane protection plan being implemented for south Louisiana. It has been funded every year I have been in office.

“Secondly,” Boustany continued, “I have gotten the state of Louisiana to adopt that as part of its coastal restoration master plan.”

Boustany also pointed toward the Ramp Act as a transportation bill that secures dredging funds. He said he has also been a leader in health care issues and in 2012 was able to get legislation passed that closed opportunities for welfare abuse.

“We have been working on a Veterans Clinic for Lafayette and St. Charles [parishes],” Boustany said. “I started work on that back in 2009 … and I prevented closure of the [Veterans Administration] Clinic in Jennings. I’ve also championed funding for our community health centers.”

Boustany said the biggest challenge facing the nation, in addition to debt and deficit spending, is creating private sector job growth. “We need a sound energy policy that will promote sound drilling in the Gulf of Mexico,” he said.

By career, Landry is a businessman with a presence in the petroleum industry. He came to Congress by winning the former 3rd Congressional District in December 2010.

Boustany is a cardiovascular surgeon who was first elected to Congress in December 2004. He represented what was designated as 7th Congressional District prior to realignment, which merged geographic areas and pitted the two congressmen in competition.

Both Boustany and Landry claim to be honest conservatives attempting to address issues faced by the new 3rd Congressional District.

Primary election results saw district-wide voters offer a 15 percent difference in ballots cast specifically for Boustany and Landry.

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office, Boustany led the way with 139,123 ballots or 45 percent of the vote cast in his favor. Landry secured 93,527 votes to individually command 30 percent of the field.

Boustany carried seven parishes with support ranging from 46 percent in Calcasieu Parish to 59 percent in both Acadia and Cameron parishes.

Landry secured a stronghold among three parishes with 47 percent of the ballots in both St. Mary and St. Martin parishes and 52 percent in Iberia Parish.

Among the parishes Landry carried, he bested Boustany by an average rate of 24.6 percent.

Dist. 3 candidates