The headlines affixed to a set of press releases issued late last week by the campaigns of state Rep. Lance Harris and Luke Letlow offered opposing summations of the Thursday evening debate that was hosted by KNOE-TV:
“Luke Letlow Emerges as Clear Winner in Louisiana’s 5th District Congressional Debate,” and “Lance Harris is The Clear Debate Winner.”
While both men declared victory following the debate, only one will remain standing after the Dec. 5 runoff election. And for now, the 5th Congressional District race is anything but pretty. The election represents Louisiana’s last congressional contest of the year and pits one Republican against another.
Before Thursday night’s big debate, the race went negative, writes Jeremy Alford in his new opinion piece,his new opinion piece, starting with an ad from Harris that attempted to paint Letlow as a “paid lobbyist” and an ally of former Gov. Bobby Jindal. Letlow responded in-kind with his own ad calling Harris a “career politician” who helped “create the largest tax hike in Louisiana history.”
An all-out media war might not be the best option for Harris during this final stretch. Should Letlow decide to go on the attack, Harris may not be able to respond without the help of outside spending. According to the Federal Election Commission, Letlow had $236,000 in cash on hand as of Oct. 14, compared to Harris’ $36,000.Â
The results from the primary also pointed to an edge for Letlow, a Start native who pulled down 33% against eight challengers. Harris of Alexandria made the runoff, meanwhile, by just 428 votes.
The 30-minute KNOE-TV debate permitted the candidates to ask each other a series of questions, but failed to produce any real fireworks.
Read Alford’s full column about the debate and the ongoing race here.Â
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
