It was during his time as a student at the University that 6th District congressional candidate Rufus Craig decided to become a Libertarian.
“I got in trouble for marijuana when I was 19, as 19-year-olds at LSU often smoke a little grass from time to time,” said Craig, a local attorney.
Craig spent roughly five months in jail and returned to campus to face a panel of deans in Memorial Tower who were to decide his fate at the University.
“Why don’t you just put a fence around Kirby Smith and keep all these kids locked up,” joked Craig, looking back on the meeting. “The smokers outnumbered the non-smokers.”
Craig was eventually allowed to continue at the University, where his grades substantially improved.
Soon after his return, Craig received a pardon from Gov. Edwin Edwards, who gave Craig back his right to vote.
“I registered Libertarian,” Craig said. “Even back then, the Libertarians were advocating the legalization of drugs.”
Now, 41 years later, Craig is squaring off against the former Democratic governor and convicted felon, as well as a handful of Republican rivals, in the race for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District.
Leaning back behind a massive desk in his Baton Rouge law office, Craig, a Buddhist, spits out expletives just as often as tirades on U.S. foreign diplomacy.
Short of the Cajun Prince himself, he may just be the most colorful, candid contestant in the race.
“The fundamental premise of Libertarianism is that all of us have a right to do what we want with our own person and our property,” Craig said. “So long as we don’t hurt another person or harm their property.”
Craig said the modern Republican Party has seen a noticeable shift to more Libertarian ideals in the past and accused his fellow candidates of pandering to such values to get elected.
“Do you know what pandering is? That’s where you stand at the bar and you tell that girl whatever it is you think she wants to hear to get in her pants,” Craig said. “That’s what they’re doing.”
Craig said Republicans shy away from the Libertarian label because of the social issues that accompany the platform.
“In this district there’s a whole litany of social issues you have to fall in line on to even have a chance to win,” Craig said. “I’m striking out on a couple of different categories.”
Craig favors the legalization of all drugs and disagrees with the Baton Rouge Metro Council’s rejection of a Fairness Ordinance that would outlaw housing and employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
“A person’s sexuality is relevant only in the context of sex,” Craig said. “If you’re a man and you don’t like gay men — don’t have sex with one.”
Craig, who has run for Congress twice before against incumbents in 2004 and 2012, said this race is his first without a clear frontrunner.
“I knew I had no chance of winning because the way the congressional districts are configured,” Craig said. “Once you get elected, the incumbent’s almost impossible to defeat — unless you take a picture of your dick and send it to a hooker in Vegas.”
Craig acknowledged he probably will not win the fight for the 6th District, but urged constituents to rally behind him.
“You’re not throwing away your vote by voting for a Libertarian,” Craig said. “You’re voting for your conscience. You’re voting for what you think is right for the nation.”
Craig said the Libertarian Party is the party of young people.
“We represent the younger Americans’ ideas,” Craig said. “I think you all are starting to understand that neither the Republicans nor Democrats have the political will or ability to address the problems that face this nation.”