On Saturday, former police officer Clay Higgins defeated Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle 56-44 in the all-GOP runoff for Louisiana’s open 3rd Congressional District, which is located around Lafayette. Angelle had done well in this area during his unsuccessful 2015 gubernatorial bid, and he decisively outraised all his opponents in the jungle primary. However, Higgins had celebrity on his side. Higgins, while serving as a spokesman for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, starred in Crimestoppers videos that featured him dramatically calling out criminals. Higgins’ videos earned national attention, with the Tonight Show featuring one last year. Nathan Gonzales speculated on election night that Higgins “might be the first internet meme to get elected to Congress.” Given how American politics is looking these days, he may sadly not be the last.
However, Higgins didn’t just have fame on his side. After Angelle lost the 2015 jungle primary to GOP Sen. David Vitter, Angelle refused to endorse Vitter in the runoff. While Angelle didn’t go as far as Jay Dardenne, another defeated Republican who actually backed Democrat John Bel Edwards’ successful campaign, Vitter’s allies wanted to exact their revenge on the public service commissioner. Vitter’s former chief of staff headed a super PAC called Make Louisiana Great Again that ran ads against Angelle in the congressional runoff. The PAC also received help from people close to state Attorney General Jeff Landry; if Angelle had won, he and Landry may have been opponents in the 2019 gubernatorial race to face Edwards.
Higgins and his allies argued that Angelle was a corrupt insider who was disloyal to the GOP, and that was certainly a potent theme in the year of Donald Trump. Just before the runoff, Higgins’ ex-wife released a tape that featured the candidate telling her that if he won, his $174,000 congressional salary would help him pay her the more than $100,000 he owes her in child support. Higgins’ easily won anyway, so good news for his pocketbook!