The state’s U.S. Senate race saw its final debate before the Nov. 8 primary election resemble a screaming match – a stark difference from the first Senate debate just a few weeks ago.
The six candidates who qualified for the Nov. 2 debate at Dillard University in New Orleans polled at least 5 percent statewide under criteria established by Raycom Media. Republican Reps. Charles Boustany and John Fleming, Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy, Democrats Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell and New Orleans lawyer Caroline Fayard participated in the first debate, with Republican former Rep. David Duke making the cut for the final debate.
The debate took place in the university auditorium without an audience. Protesters gathered outside of the university, and some were pepper sprayed and arrested as they attempted to force entry into the venue.
Raycom Media produced the event, and journalists from the company’s Louisiana stations composed debate material.
Candidates were questioned on the Affordable Healthcare Act, Social Security, the Supreme Court justice selection process and the presidential election. Party loyalty was a topic brought up frequently by all the candidates, who preferred to exchange insults throughout the entirety of the debate, deviating from questions and resulting in little substantive answers.
In her opening statement, Fayard wasted no time in denouncing Duke’s, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, presence at the debate, saying the state should “cut the head off of his hatred once and for all.”
When Duke didn’t respond within his allotted rebuttal time, he began an altercation with debate moderator John Snell, which lasted for several minutes.
Fleming and Kennedy sparred back and forth, accusing the other of being longtime career politicians with little results.
“If you were my CFO, I would have fired you a long time ago,” Fleming said.
As the Republican candidates argued over which one had “true” conservative values, Campbell and Fayard criticized each other for not being the better Democrat.
Fayard addressed the advertisement her campaign ran which tied Campbell to Duke. While Campbell said the ad misconstrued his words and put them out of context, the lawyer stood behind her campaign’s ad.
Campbell said that nothing in the ad is true, calling it “not just a lie, but a damn lie.”
When asked about his comment regarding “CNN Jews,” Duke said he’s not a white supremacist, but fights for the rights of white people. Duke said he was being targeted by the government and the media.
“[Clinton] should be getting the electric chair and charged with treason,” Duke said.
When Kennedy was questioned on his previous support of John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election, he compared himself to former President Ronald Reagan, who also swapped parties. He shored up his conservative values as touting his NRA membership and his pro-life and pro-small government stances.
In the presidential election, Kennedy, Fleming, Duke and Boustany said they would vote for Republican nominee Donald Trump, while Campbell and Fayard are voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
On whether or not they’re willing to work with the president of the opposing party, Kennedy said he’s not willing to sacrifice his personal principles to work with Clinton if elected. Fayard and Campbell will work with whichever nominee takes the office, with Campbell emphasizing that the state needs financial help and can’t afford to block presidential measures. Duke reiterated his support for Trump.
Snell had trouble maintaining control among the candidates and ending the debate within the hour time limit.