Louisiana District 5
Louisiana, your primary election is on July 11. You have some work to do when it comes to sustainability and green energy, and we want to see your beautiful state remain a gorgeous for years to come.
Your primary is different than most states, meaning that you employ a majority vote system. This means that whichever candidate wins the majority of the vote, they win outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, you vote again between the two top contenders. As long as you’re registered, you can vote.
Let’s take a look at your candidates!
President
We haven't reviewed any presidential candidates yet, but check back soon!
Louisiana Senators
Antoine Pierce
Antoine Pierce is a community activist and founder of Better Boys Initiative, Inc.
Pierce mentions ensuring environmental protections and subsidizing renewable energy resources, but otherwise doesn’t have an extensive platform.
Dartanyon Williams
Dartanyon Williams is a businessman, author, and pastor.
Williams has some good stances on improving transportation – which will also decrease harmful emission output into our atmosphere. He has a good grasp on how disastrous climate change is in regard to gulf coast and the issues that will arise as devastating natural disasters continue to hit the coast. He wants to address coastal erosion and the next steps to deal with losing so much coastline in such a short time.
Overall, Williams has good ideas, but we would like to see him expand the issues on his climate change platform.
Drew Knight
Drew Knight is a political activist.
Knight acknowledges that climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world, and he wants to see some systemic change. However, he has a limited platform and little information available on his plans to change the system.
Bill Cassidy
Bill Cassidy has been a congressman since 2009, switching between the 5 and 6 districts before he became a Senator. His LCV scorecard rating is 7%.
Cassidy has a terrible voting record. The few items of legislation that he has voted positively on are water conservation programs and research – a very important aspect of conservation in a state that is directly affected by rising sea levels. However, looking into water conservation and pollution reduction and expanding aid for natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, etc. is fairly useless if not researched and addressed in tandem with climate change, which is causing a majority of the water-related natural disasters in the gulf.
Additionally, he has continuously supported expanding and using oil as a major energy source. Louisiana has been a powerhouse of oil refining, and as a ranking member of the Senate Energy Subcommittee, Cassidy has real opportunities daily to work towards a clean energy future, and instead he has been pushed around by oil lobbyists.
His new clean energy angle is natural gas production and consumption. Although natural gas certainly causes less CO2 emissions, the real kicker is it’s methane emissions. Methane can hold almost 90x more heat than a carbon dioxide molecule over a 20 year time period (cited). In simple terms, this heat absorption causes the atmosphere to heat up, causing ice to melt, causing flooding and a rise is sea levels. Although natural gas is, debatably, a better alternative than oil from a ground and water pollution standpoint, it is still far away from being a preferable major energy production and consumption material. We want to see a real interest in solar and hydro power from people in power in the gulf.
Cassidy also clearly states that he wants to get rid of “red tape” to give oil and gas companies an easier time extracting, refining, and producing oil and natural gas. That “red tape” are often necessary and important restrictions and guidelines that refiners need to follow to keep pollution to a minimum and to protect those who live close to these industrial complexes from air and water pollutants. On a local scale, removing these regulations could have serious health repercussions for the people who live in these areas, and on a global scale, the impact on the water and atmospheric emissions will be catastrophic.
We want to see some positive changes from the Senator. He has so many opportunities to work on creating jobs in a vast and rapidly expanding green energy economy that he has been ignoring. Louisiana can’t afford to be left behind in the climate crisis- the rapidly dwindling shoreline is a testament to the amount of time that the Senator has wasted already.
Dustin Murphy
Dustin Murphy is a welder.
Murphy doesn’t have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Jamar “Doc” Montgomery
Jamar “Doc” Montgomery is an attorney, mechanical engineer & Navy veteran.
Montgomery doesn’t have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
District 5 Representatives
Brody Pierrottie
Brody Pierrottieis a restaurant manager.
Pierrottie does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Candy Christophe
Candy Christophe is a Clinical Social Worker & Nonprofit Group Founder.
Christophe does not have any information available on her stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Daniel Edwards
Daniel Edwards is a Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff, Attorney & Brother of Gov. Jon Bel Edwards.
Edwards does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Jack McFarland
Jack McFarland is State Representative, Ex-Winn Parish Police Jury President & TImber Company Owner.
McFarland does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Jamie Mayo
Jamie Mayo is the Monroe Mayor & Businessman.
Mayo does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change
Jay Morris
Jay Morris is a State Senator, Ex-State Representative, Attorney, & Ex-Congressional Aide
This year, Morris voted against a bill meant to limit the ability of localities to file environmental lawsuits against oil and gas companies. Otherwise, he does not have available information on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, and climate change.
Lance Harris
Lance Harris is a State Representative, businessman, farmer & Ex-Banker.
Harris does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Luke Letlow
Luke Letlow is an Ex-Congressional Aide & Ex-Gubernatorial Aide.
Letlow does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson is a State Representative & Attorney.
Johnson does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Mike Walsworth
Mike Walsworth is an Ex-State Senator, Ex-State Representative, & Real Estate Developer.
Walsworth was a member of the Environmental Quality Committee in the Louisiana State Senate. In 2014, he proposed a bill that would allow the state’s Department of Environmental Quality to determine how to apply the EPA’s rule on carbon dioxide emissions, a move supported by the coal industry. It was believed to risk hurting the fight against carbon dioxide emissions. Otherwise, Walsworth does not have any information available regarding his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Neil Riser
Neil Riser is a State Representative, & Funeral Home Owner.
Riser does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Scotty Robinson
Scotty Robinson is the Ouachita Parish Police Jury President & realtor.
Robinson does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.
Zach Dasher
Zach Dasher is a Businessman.
Dasher does not have any information available on his stances on sustainability, clean energy, or climate change.