The Republican Party of Louisiana has endorsed state Sen. Blake Miguez in the race for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District, drawing an objection from fellow Republican state Sen. Rick Edmonds over how the endorsement was decided.
A release announcing the endorsement said the party’s Executive Committee finalized its support for Miguez after receiving signatures from a majority of Republican State Central Committee members within the district. Edmonds, however, contends that most committee members who live in District 6 voted to endorse him and that Executive Committee members from outside the district ultimately selected Miguez.
The two statements offer conflicting accounts of which candidate had the support of Republican State Central Committee members within the district. The Miguez campaign release says a majority of District 6 members submitted signatures supporting his endorsement, while Edmonds says a majority of those members voted to endorse him before an Executive Committee that included members from outside the district selected Miguez in a 'good ole boy, backroom deal.'
Neither statement provided the underlying signature or vote totals, making it unclear whether they referred to the same members or separate stages of the endorsement process. The distinction is notable because Miguez's primary and official address is in New Iberia, outside the congressional district he is seeking to represent, although federal law does not require U.S. House candidates to live within their districts.
Voters will decide the race during Louisiana’s Nov. 3 open primary. The congressional contest is being conducted under open-primary rules after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s previous congressional map, prompting officials to suspend the scheduled closed-party U.S. House primaries and lawmakers to redraw the districts. All candidates, regardless of party, will appear on the same ballot. A candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote will win outright; otherwise, the top two will advance to a Dec. 12 runoff. Miguez and Edmonds are among 10 candidates vying for the open 6th District seat.
