Tuesday, May 25
May 25, 2010Thursday, May 27
May 27, 2010After winning unopposed in 2008, Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District Rep. Charlie Melancon is electing not to run for a fourth term in 2010.
With the door open for new blood to enter Congress, Houma’s own Ravi Sangisetty has thrown his hat in the ring and stands as the only Democratic candidate.
There is much speculation that Louisiana will lose a congressional seat after the results of the 2010 Census, but the decision will not be finalized until April 2011, allowing at least one more election cycle with the current district alignments intact.
If elected, as the new kid on the block, the 28-year old will have to fight against being a transitional representative if reapportionment affects District 3 negatively.
“Our coastal district serves the rest of the state,” said Sangisetty. “They rely on this area for seafood and industry jobs – with some of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation… There’s no reason why the 3rd District should be the one to go, and as a community we must fight to keep the integrity of this district.”
But before Sangisetty can fight this battle in Congress, the Houma native must win November’s election.
After graduating from Vandebilt Catholic High School, Sangisetty attended Princeton University where he received a degree in political science.
“It was during my time at Princeton that I realized just how south Louisiana I am,” said Sangisetty. “I wanted to come back and live here so I could go fishing with friends, go to LSU football games and see the Saints win the Super Bowl.”
But Sangisetty did more than attend football games at LSU. He also attended the Ole War Skule, earning a law degree.
Shortly thereafter, he began his legal career as a judicial clerk to Judge Stanwood R. Duval, Jr., but it was not until then that Sangisetty realized he was destined for politics.
“[Judge Duval] inspired me to get involved. He lit a fire under me,” said Sangisetty. “You just can’t continue to disengage. Otherwise you leave political positions open for people who care more about power than people.”
As a native who moved back to Houma last year, Sangisetty understands the importance of coastal restoration. He wrote his senior thesis at Princeton on coastal restoration and has been helping the Morganza Action Committee (M.A.C.).
“Coastal restoration is up there as one of the top things we depend on in south Louisiana,” he said. “It’s so important as a cultural and economic issue as the top producer of seafood in the country.”
Sangisetty said he has received support from a number of public officials – both Republican and Democrat.
“People have told me that they look at the person, not the party,” he said. “Support is not partisan, and extreme partisanship does not serve our community.”
All in all, Sangisetty said if elected he will strive do whatever he can for the coastal district – maybe with a little Cajun ingenuity.
“We have so much potential down here – hard working, genuine people,” he said. “Community really means something here, and I want to fight for it in Congress.”
