After winning Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District seat, Republican candidate Garret Graves said the old Louisiana political scene made way for a new era of Louisiana politics.
Graves defeated Democratic candidate former Gov. Edwin Edwards Saturday in a runoff.
“The old Louisiana has yielded a new Louisiana,” Graves said to a crowd of supporters at his election night party.
Graves, confident to lead the shift in Louisiana politics, encouraged all voters to come together despite political differences.
The election night party drew in a varied crowd, from old supporters to spirited college interns, and all were eager to celebrate their new congressman.
A personal supporter of Graves, Student Government President Clay Tufts said he hopes Graves will use his policy plans wisely in Congress.  Though he met with many 6th District candidates, Tufts hopes Graves is the candidate to prioritize the flagship University.
“I think he’s somebody who will prioritize LSU,” Tufts said. “And that’s really important not for only public officials in his position but for senators or state officials, they always need to be thinking about Louisiana’s flagship school.”  
Once Graves takes office, Tufts aims to keep channels open between students and public officials, making higher education a priority in Congress and at the state level.
For Avery McMahon, international studies senior, and Anna Leger, international studies and political science senior, their work as Graves’ campaign interns paid off on election night.  
McMahon said the grassroots campaign made the runoff portion of the campaign smoother. 
Throughout the campaign and in the last few weeks, family members and volunteers flooded Graves’ office for the extra push.
Though the campaign started small, Graves also said his team was  not shy of hard work. In his speech, Graves said the numbers were not always in his favor, citing he started at 2 percent in the polls.
However, Leger said Graves was always upbeat during the campaign, hopeful for a good outcome.
“I think it’s been a great experience because it’s just so positive,” Leger said. “Because a lot of the times [campaigns] might not always be that way.”
Now that the campaign is over, McMahon said she has her eyes on another race. She said she is looking forward to a successful two years and seeing Graves run again.
“I would love to see him run again,”  McMahon said. “I think he’s going to do great things in the next two years, but for him to run again, I think that would really show how well this first campaign did.”
Leger said she think Graves’ work in Washington D.C. will give Louisiana voters a newfound sense of pride.
“I think people are really just going to be very proud of what he does once he gets up there,” Leger said. “I mean, he hasn’t been in Congress before, but he’s just so prepared for this.”
While Graves said he will pave the way for a new future of Louisiana, Edwards reflected on a campaign ending in a loss. Though the former governor closed another chapter of his work in Louisiana politics, he said he was content with the campaign.
“If you sit by the river long enough, sooner or later, you lose an election. I’m happy and I feel like I fulfilled my role in life,” Edwards said.
Edwards and his supporters acknowledged he was trailing behind in the runoff, but some supporters — nostalgic of his past — maintained their hope for years to come.
John Grace, interdisciplinary studies senior and Edwards intern, said he initially took the internship for class credit, and soon learned of a family connection with Edwards. His grandfather worked for Edwards while Edwards was governor.
“I didn’t find that out until once I started working for him, but I want to be involved with politics,” Grace said. 
He said the connection with his grandfather grew stronger every week working on the campaign.
Campaign volunteer Paul Fountaine made phone calls and canvassed for the election, taking after his parents who supported Edwards in his years as governor.  
“It’s just like a legacy, you know, we want to see him get back into office and do well for the people,” Fountaine said. “I can still remember the things that he did and people just raving about him. I want to see him get back in.”
Fountaine said his age wasn’t ever a problem, and Edwards’ track records always stuck out.
“He got a little older but even wiser,” Fountaine said.
Richard Peter, Edwards’ friend, traveled from Dallas for the election night celebration. Though Peter said he was realistic about the election, he still wants to see Edwards run again.
“I would like to see him run for president,” Peter said. “Anyone can run for president, even a convict.”