Five candidates vying to be Louisiana’s next governor faced off in their first debate of the election season Thursday night, answering questions on minimum wage, LGBTQ+ issues, petrochemical pollution and much more.
The candidates included three Republicans: state Sen. Sharon Hewitt of Slidell, state Treasurer John Schroder and former business lobby head Stephen Waguespack. Also debating were trial lawyer Hunter Lundy, a political independent, and former state Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson, a Democrat.
Looming over the night was the elephant not in the room: Attorney General Jeff Landry, who leads the polls. He declined to appear, citing objections to the Urban League of Louisiana, a nonpartisan civil rights organization and a partner in the debate. State Rep. Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville, was not invited, with sponsors citing low polling numbers.
They seek to replace incumbent Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is term limited.
The debate was sponsored by several media organizations—WWL-TV in New Orleans, WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge, KTBS-TV in Shreveport, KATC-TV in Lafayette and The Advocate—as well as the Urban League and the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.
Abortion
Louisiana fell under a near-total abortion ban after Roe v. Wade was overturned, with few medical exceptions and no carve outs for incest or rape. Recent polls show Louisiana residents are split on the state’s abortion policy.
When asked if they would push the Legislature to put abortion rights in front of voters on the ballot, every candidate but Wilson said no.
“I would not support a ballot initiative on such an important issue,” Waguespack said. “I think it needs to be thoughtful.”
Hewitt said voters have their say by deciding who to send to the Legislature.
Wilson broke from the group, saying the current laws on the books are “putting lives in jeopardy.” He said he didn’t object to allowing residents to decide the matter directly because “our Legislature has proven the fact that they are too extreme for Louisiana.”
“It’s important to hear them and let them have a say so on what’s going to govern their lives,” he said.
LGBTQ+ issues
The Legislature passed three bills aimed at the LGBTQ+ community in the regular legislative session. The governor subsequently vetoed them, but he was overruled on a bill that banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
Lundy and the three Republicans on stage said they supported the Legislature’s decision, speaking strongly against access to the care for minors.
“We have to protect children at all costs,” Waguespack said. “I don’t think that hurts our reputation. I think that helps our reputation.”
Hewitt, too, said she didn’t feel the ban would discourage conventions or other groups from coming to Louisiana.
Lundy said adults should be allowed access to the care, “whether I agree with them or not,” but it should be barred for children.
“I say we have to live together and love together,” Schroder said. “But this was an attack on the … fiber of the family, and I fully supported where the Legislature was on this issue.”
Again, Wilson diverged from the rest of the stage, saying the “extreme” policies don’t represent the majority view of the state and that they are pushing people away from Louisiana.
“We’ve spent $50,000 a day of public tax dollars to debate issues that infringe on people’s rights,” he said of the cost of the veto override session.
Cancer Alley
Candidates were asked how they would address Cancer Alley, the petrochemical belt along the Mississippi River that has earned its name because of complaints from residents who say the pollution is making them sick. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found the closer people live to the plants, the higher their risk for cancer.
Lundy said companies need to be complying with the law and there should be air monitoring for people in the community. A bill to establish public air monitoring at the fence lines of petrochemical plants failed to pass this most recent legislative session, as it has for several years in a row.
“I’m all about industry,” Lundy said, “but I’m also about compliance, and I’m also about balance. And if you mess up, clean up.”
Wilson said there is a way for the petrochemical industry to “coexist” with communities.
Schroder said he “fully support[s] the families, and if … the industry is doing something wrong that they should fix it.” He also took the opportunity to raise his opposition to carbon sequestration projects like the ones proposed around Lake Maurepas.
Carbon capture is a process in which CO2 emissions are taken from the air and injected underground. Neighbors of proposed projects have voiced loud opposition and ecological concerns.
Hewitt drew contrast, taking her chance to call carbon capture an “exciting” opportunity. She is a former Shell executive and said the refining industry is “one of the most regulated industries we have.”
Waguespack was pushed repeatedly to say what he would do for Cancer Alley residents. He claimed “national” groups were coming down to Louisiana to “disparage” the petrochemical industry.
The moderators pushed back on that, citing reporting by WWL-TV that highlights health concerns from neighbors of petrochemical plants. There are several prominent, community-based groups in areas of heavy industrial presence advocating for lessened pollution.
Lundy, in response to Waguespack, said people adversely affected by petrochemical pollution need to be compensated or relocated.
Rapid fire
The moderators asked a series of rapid-fire questions, asking candidates to answer “yes” or “no.” The candidates found common ground on several topics.
They all said they wouldn’t increase the gas tax to fund infrastructure repairs. Each said it was a priority to close the wealth gap between white and Black households. And they agreed they wouldn’t add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of mandatory school vaccinations.
When asked if they would raise the minimum wage from the federal level of $7.25 an hour, Lundy, Wilson and Schroder said yes. Hewitt, who has opposed efforts to increase it in the Legislature, said “maybe.”
Waguespack, former head of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, which has opposed such raises, was the only candidate to say “no.”
What’s next?
The next debate will be hosted by KLFY in Lafayette on Sept. 15. Seven candidates, including the five present Thursday plus Landry and Nelson, will appear.
All candidates will face off in the primary on Oct. 14. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, then the top two candidates will advance to a run-off on Nov. 18.
