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A state legislator from Houma is the latest candidate to enter the crowded field seeking the 6th Congressional District seat.
Rep. Lenar Whitney, R-Houma, made her announcement Saturday during a speech at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.
The seat is being vacated by Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu for her Senate spot.
A national committeewoman for the Louisiana Republican Party, Whitney prides herself on being a “true conservative” and expects to use that credential as currency in the congressional bid.
During her speech, Whitney declared that global warming is “a hoax.”
She has jabbed hard at the Obama administration, defending Gov. Bobby Jindal’s opposition to Louisiana taking part in Medicaid expansion.
“Washington, D.C. runs deficits of almost $1 trillion every single year,” she said in a video paid for by her campaign. “Conservatives want everyone to have good health care and good health insurance. But when the only plan is to make 40 percent of Louisiana dependent on health care from a federal government that is headed toward bankruptcy we think that is heartless,” she said.
Whitney has close ties to Jindal, as does another contender for the congressional seat, former state coastal czar Garret Graves.
Baton Rouge entrepreneur Paul Dietzel; state Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge; Baker businessman Craig McCulloch; Baton Rouge tax attorney Cassie Felder; Tea Party scribe Bob Bell; Navy veteran Norm Clark; and Baton Rouge teacher Charles “Trey” Thomas are the other Republicans who have announced.
On the Democratic side are former Gov. Edwin Edwards, Laplace real estate broker Paul Lieberman and Baton Rouge charities consultant Anthony Anderson.
Candidates qualify Aug. 21-23. An open primary – meaning voters of any party affiliation may vote for any candidate – will be held Nov. 4. If no candidate gains 50 percent plus one vote, a run-off will be held Dec. 6.
The district includes Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Lafourche, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, Terrebonne and West Baton Rouge parishes.
Whitney’s telecommunications business partner and supporter Jeff Giles said her identification as a conservative candidate with House record in Baton Rouge to prove it will be appealing to voters in the conservative part of the state.
“She is an issues-oriented person and one of the most underestimated politicians I have ever had the pleasure of knowing,” Giles said. “She blows people away with her preparedness. She is perfection. She will deliver an issues-oriented campaign that all the other candidates will wish they would have thought of.”
