In Louisiana, it is often clear which party will win each congressional seat.
As for Louisiana’s second congressional district, it has been held by a Democrat for the last 10 years.
When former Congressman Cedric Richmond moved on to work in the White House, his seat became vacant. Several candidates jumped into the race at once, but one candidate in particular caught my attention. His name is Claston Bernard.
Claston Bernard is an immigrant from Jamaica who came to LSU and joined the track team, where he became a national champion. Later, Bernard competed in the Olympics for Jamaica. He went on to write several books and is now an entrepreneur.
Bernard is also a Christian husband and father of two. The three main pillars of his campaign are God, family and education, and one of his main goals is to put better after-school programs into place.
More than anything, Bernard is running to bring change to this district. He has no intention of winning and then forgetting the people he represents when he gets to Washington D.C. Bernard truly believes in this state and says he wants to be a champion for the people he represents.
In his campaign video, Bernard discusses how he has “walked these streets,” and how he “sees the pain and tragedies” but has not given up hope. He believes his campaign has the opportunity to bring the change and hope that the second district of Louisiana needs.
Over the last month, I have had the privilege of watching Bernard interact with the constituents of this district. He is sincere, passionate and so energetic.
He truly listens when people are telling him about their hardships, and he makes an effort to reach out to every person in a room.
I have seen how caring he is to his beautiful family. I have seen him knock on doors in the district and relay his message of hope. I have seen him go out of his way to help those in tough situations.
Although this is not my district to vote in, I have enjoyed following Bernard’s race. I appreciate the dedication of the Bernard campaign.
Bernard does not care that the odds are against him. He uses that as motivation to share his mission with even more people. He keeps going no matter the chances and does it all with a smile on his face.
If you can vote in Louisiana’s second congressional district, I encourage you to check out Bernard’s platform. He has the potential to be a great representative for this district.
Elizabeth Crochet is a 19-year-old political communication sophomore from New Orleans.