Louisiana gubernatorial candidates made a final push at a debate Thursday to win over voters two days ahead of the start of early voting.

The following candidates participated in the debate hosted by Louisiana Public Broadcasting in Baton Rouge:

• State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, a Republican
• Hunter Lundy, trial lawyer and a political independent 
• State Treasurer John Schroder, a Republican
• Stephen Waguespack, former business lobby head and a Republican
• Shawn Wilson, former state transportation secretary and a Democrat

Absent from the debate was Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican who leads in the polls. He was invited but declined, citing a prior commitment at a meet-and-greet in Lake Charles.

Education

To begin, the candidates discussed how Louisiana’s education system should be improved to meet the needs of the state’s workforce. 

Waguespack said it’s important to listen to employers and show the youth that there are great jobs to be had. 

Hewitt cited thousands of job openings currently unfilled in Louisiana. She said she believes the state needs to retrain older adults to fill these positions and offer industry based certifications to prepare young students for the future.

Climate and economy

Schroder said he doesn’t “buy into the climate change that corporate America’s trying to sell.” He said the federal government is taking Louisiana’s money and investing in China and Venezuela but doesn’t want to invest locally.

“Reality is, fossil fuels are going to be here for a long time, well past anybody in this room, so I’m willing to embrace whatever industry that wants to come to Louisiana,” Schroder said.

Wilson, the lone Democrat in the race, has an all-of-the-above approach when it comes to diversifying Louisiana’s economy. He said there is an environmental imperative to be better and that billions of dollars being spent in the state will help Louisiana become a lot more energy efficient and independent.

Insurance crisis

The most pressing issue of the night, many candidates expressed, was the insurance crisis. 

Lundy said he has seen insurance companies lie many times, saying these companies have made millions of dollars off the backs of Louisiana residents due to hurricane claims.

 “We will reduce the policies,” Lundy said. “We will tackle FEMA, and join in with our U.S. senators to reduce flood insurance,” Lundy said.

Hewitt supported a free market approach when tackling the insurance crisis. 

“Companies don’t want to write policies here, because a commissioner is establishing the rates, you need to be able to run your own business portfolio by setting your own rate,.” she said.

Crime

There was a general consensus among the candidates that crime rates are a major problem for the state and that reform must happen. Some of those proposed changes were to raise police salaries, invest more in education and stop catch-and-release programs within the Louisiana justice system. 

Wilson called out the absent frontrunner, Landry, saying that when people disagree with him, Wilson will not ask them to leave the state as he said Landry does. 

Wilson also commented on inclusivity in the state. 

“I’m asking folks to have a conversation about inclusiveness and about embracing who we are and what makes us the rich culture that Louisiana has evolved to be.” said Wilson.

Voting 

The primary election will be held on Oct. 14. Early voting begun Saturday, Sept. 30, and continues through Oct. 7, excluding Sunday, Oct. 1. 

If no single candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a general election between the top two vote recipients will be held on Nov. 18.

Correction: This article was updated to correct the date of the Sunday on which early voting will not occur.