Qualifying for the race to replace 5th District Congressman Ralph Abraham isn’t until July, but the campaigns are heating up. The district, which covers the northeastern parts of the state and central Louisiana from Alexandria through the Florida Parishes, is a Republican seat and it’s likely to stay that way.
However, writes Jeremy Alford in his new opinion piece, the 5th District will also be the only congressional race on Louisiana’s ballot this fall without a sitting incumbent.
That makes the election competitive, but, like other 2020 contests, it’s a work in progress. The candidates and campaigns are endeavoring to engage voters across this COVID-19 landscape and testing out issues as citizens protest police brutality and racial inequities.
So far, there are four names of note: Sandra “Cande” Shoemaker-Christophe, a Democrat from Alexandria; GOP state Rep. Lance Harris; Republican Luke Letlow of Start, who works for and is endorsed by Congressman Abraham; and Ouachita Parish Police Juror Scotty Robinson, a Republican.
Read Alford’s full column about the upcoming race.
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.
