The presidential election might be the hot-button issue this year, but we shouldn’t forget about the all-important congressional races in 2016.
Louisiana will choose its next senator in November. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., decided to retire after his embarrassing performance in Louisiana’s 2015 gubernatorial election, meaning our race is wide open. Two of the people running are currently in the U.S. House of Representatives, which means their seats are also up for grabs. Get ready for a statewide power vacuum.
Five Republicans and three Democrats are running for the open seat, and under Louisiana’s election laws, all candidates are put on the same ballot in November. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates proceed to a runoff election in December.
Unlike the 2014 midterm election, in which Bill Cassidy destroyed Mary Landrieu, 2016’s election coverage is almost nonexistent. Because of this, coupled with the fact that everyone in the state is running for senate, the Louisiana senate race will almost certainly advance to a runoff. Whoever makes it to the second round of elections is entirely up to you.
I know Congress isn’t as glamorous as the presidential race, and we’re spending most of our energy preparing for nuclear war if Donald Trump wins the election. But congressional races can be just as consequential as the presidential one.
None of the presidential candidates can accomplish any of their promises without support from Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ tuition-free college proposal won’t go through without a massive congressional makeover, nor would Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall.
The congressional seats are vital for the president to execute his or her plans. But, aside from national issues, we need a senator that’ll bring Louisiana’s issues to the forefront of the conversation.
Coastal erosion, climate change, ocean acidification, infrastructure and continuing to rebuild New Orleans are all important topics for Louisiana’s survival. We need a senator who’s able and willing to stand up to the oil and gas companies because, quite frankly, our landscape can’t take anymore of them ruining our environment.
Have you heard of the dead zone in the gulf? It’s an area along Louisiana’s coast with low oxygen levels. Because of that, sea life can’t thrive, ruining our state’s fishing industry. We can argue over whether this is a state or federal problem, but I’d much rather spend time resolving it instead. And having a senator fight to eradicate the dead zone is better than the alternative.
On economic issues, we need a senator able to fight for the working people. Louisiana is a poor state with low-income people. Big-business legislation doesn’t help Louisiana or its residents. We need a senator who can stand up to large corporations so that we can funnel the money used to subsidize corporations into social programs that benefit everyone.
Louisiana’s residents would benefit from single-payer healthcare and tuition-free college more than any other state. Given the state’s consistent cuts to healthcare and higher education, Louisiana probably shouldn’t have full monetary control over those programs anyway. More federal dollars going to the state and its people could reduce the burden of budget cuts on Louisiana’s low-income residents.
Getting wrapped up in national news is easy and tempting, but Louisiana has its own problems. We need to use this election to figure out how this political atmosphere will affect our great state.
Cody Sibley is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Opelousas, Louisiana.