In the race to fill Louisiana’s House District 69 seat, voters were promised a comprehensive look at their future representative. But when the microphones went live on Thursday night, only one candidate was in the room to make her case.
Hosted by the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition, The Bayou Progressive, the Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants (LORI), and the Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana, the forum aimed to press candidates on the region’s most urgent issues. Invitations were extended to all four contenders vying for the seat recently vacated by Republican Rep. Paula Davis. However, the three Republican candidates—Adam Beach, Lynn Coxe Graham, and Paul Sawyer—were noticeably absent, leaving Democrat Angela Roberts to take the stage solo.
Roberts, a mother of three and a legal professional with a decade of experience, leaned on her four years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to introduce herself to the crowd. With no opponents to debate, the event transformed into an intensive town hall where Roberts navigated a gauntlet of policy questions submitted by community leaders, advocacy groups, and local voters.
Public Safety and Prison Conditions
Facing questions on the state’s criminal justice system, Roberts forcefully condemned the recent spike in deaths within Louisiana’s prisons and parish jails. Specifically referencing an incident at Hunt Correctional Center, she criticized the practice of facilities investigating their own wrongdoing.
“I think the human life outweighs the cost to bring in another agency to investigate,” Roberts said, noting that treating incarcerated individuals “like animals” does not lead to reform. She also emphasized that crime prevention must start at the root, pointing to mental health care, job stability, and addressing the affordability crisis as the primary deterrents to re-offending.
Fiscal Cliffs and Corporate Accountability
The discussion shifted to the state’s looming $500 million budget shortfall, triggered by an expiring 0.45 percent sales tax. While Roberts hesitated to outline immediate spending cuts before thoroughly reviewing the state’s data, she took a firm stance on corporate revenue. She advocated for taxing wealthy entities and ending policies that immediately return those tax dollars to corporations.
When grilled by an audience member about the influx of large-scale data centers draining local energy and water resources, Roberts said she is not “anti-business” but stressed that the state must thoroughly assess environmental impacts. Citing the chronic health issues and autoimmune diseases already prevalent in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” she questioned whether the promise of a few jobs outweighed the long-term health risks to the community.
Immigration and Local Enforcement
Questions submitted by LORI and immigrant coalitions probed local participation in federal immigration enforcement, such as 287(g) programs, which deputize local officers to enforce federal immigration law. Roberts argued that the fear of deportation actively harms public safety because it prevents immigrant families from reporting crimes to local police.
“It is in my opinion a human right that you remain safe,” she stated, insisting that constitutional protections and due process must be maintained for everyone, regardless of their status.
The Road to Election Day
Whoever wins the special election will have to hit the ground running, entering the legislature mid-session after bill filing deadlines have already passed. Despite these limitations, Roberts pledged to prioritize accessibility and transparency over partisan politics.
“I vow to be accessible and accountable to what people want, not what I want or what my party… wants,” Roberts told the crowd.
Voters will head to the polls on March 14. If Roberts or one of her three absent Republican rivals fails to secure a 50% majority, the race will head to a runoff on April 16. But for Roberts, Thursday was an unopposed opportunity to speak directly to the district’s electorate.