Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy returns to Washington, D.C., today to begin preparations for his transition to the Senate, after his decisive weekend victory over Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu.
The Associated Press reports that in addition to the many orientation tasks, Cassidy also is scheduled to meet with incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; the two men are expected to talk about committee assignments.
Cassidy already knows he’s gaining a position on the energy committee, a promise McConnell made to Cassidy earlier this year to help undercut Landrieu touting her committee position as essential to energy-rich Louisiana.
The Republican congressman from Baton Rouge ran a campaign on a singular message that worked for many other GOP candidates across the country: opposition to the policies of President Barack Obama.
“My interest is not in opposing the president,” Cassidy says. “My interest is in sticking up for the working families who have suffered over the last six years. If it is his policies that are making it harder for working families, I’m not interested in helping the president.”
Cassidy says this year’s elections results show that people are unhappy with the president’s agenda. After running a campaign light on policy specifics, Cassidy describes his main priority for his transition to the Senate as follows: “How do we create better jobs with better benefits with more job security for the average working family?”
To accomplish that goal, Cassidy says Obama’s signature health care law must be reversed and domestic energy production must be bolstered. Read the full story.
