Baton Rouge Democratic Mayor Kip Holden and Republican state Sen. Elbert Guillory of Opelousas traded heated barbs during a lieutenant governor’s forum today over Guillory’s use of the N-word in a recent campaign ad, a tactic Holden said “appalled” him.
“When those comments were made, I was appalled,” Holden said at today’s forum, which was hosted by Leaders With Vision. “When we stand up, we don’t want nobody to call us n——, yet we have a candidate in this race who called black people n—–, and that’s really a shame. We should respect each other.”
“Only an idiot who had not seen my commercial would have made the comments that you made,” Guillory said to Holden.
When it was Holden’s turn to speak next, he shot back by saying he “would rather be an idiot than a n—–,” and added, “but I am the best idiot that you will ever find when it comes down to promoting a city and parish like Baton Rouge, and we are virtually second to none because of that idiot.”
The sensational nature of the back and forth between Holden and Guillory—the only black candidates in the race that also includes Jefferson Parish President John Young and former Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, both Republicans—stole the show at a forum that was light on policy discussion.
Candidates fielded questions from four journalists from Baton Rouge and Shreveport on a variety of topics, ranging from the future of film tax credits in the state and how they would address the tourism budget cuts to what would they do make the state safer for tourists to visit.
But with the format allowing for only 30 seconds or one minute for candidates to give answers, they didn’t have a chance to elaborate much on their ideas or policy proposals.
Nungesser pointed to his record of job creation and getting things done in Plaquemines Parish, especially during and after major hurricanes and the BP oil spill. He said something needs to be done to the crippling film tax credit cap passed this past session by the Legislature and that he would look at restructuring taxes, especially the income taxes, as a way to lure businesses back to the state.
Young touted his experience helping Jefferson Parish recover and prosper after several hurricanes and a corruption scandal, as well as his legal expertise as a way to help bring down crime statewide so more tourists will come. He also said he would promote economic development and continue to invest in tourism.
Guillory talked about how his pro-gun and pro-life voting record in the Senate fits in with Louisiana’s values. He also said he would use the relationships made in the Senate to get things done, but would not be afraid to use his “bully pulpit” if necessary.
Holden touted his work bringing corporations like IBM to Baton Rouge as evidence that he can reel in the big fish, not just for Baton Rouge, but also Louisiana. He also noted that during his tenure, Baton Rouge has ranked at or near the top of several major lists, including best small city to live and work as a filmmaker.
The primary election is Oct. 24. If no single candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will be in a runoff election on Nov. 21.
—Ryan Broussard
