The Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee on Saturday moved ahead with a long-debated endorsement meeting, formally backing candidates in the U.S. Senate race, all six congressional districts, and several statewide contests ahead of the party’s new closed-primary cycle.
By the end of the day, the party had endorsed Jamie Davis for U.S. Senate; Lauren Jewett in the 1st Congressional District; Troy Carter in the 2nd; John Day in the 3rd; Conrad Cable in the 4th; Lindsay “Rubia” Garcia in the 5th; Cleo Fields in the 6th; Connie Norris for Public Service Commission District 1; James Edward Green for PSC District 5; and Angela Hershey for BESE District 1.
The meeting offered one of the clearest early snapshots yet of where the party’s institutional support is lining up in some of Louisiana’s most important Democratic contests. Candidates were given five minutes to address committee members, followed by a brief question-and-answer period before votes were cast.
In the U.S. Senate race, Jamie Davis won the endorsement with 89 votes, defeating Nick Albares, who received 21 votes, and Gary Crockett, who received 5. There were 12 abstentions.
Davis, a third-generation rural farmer, framed his campaign around lived experience and problem-solving. “If we want a different result in Louisiana, we need a different kind of Democrat,” he said. “Not one who just is all about working people, but one who has lived it. Not one that studies problems, but one who solves them every day.”
Albares pointed to his work in Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration and cast himself as a fighter for dignity and decency in public life. “I believe that my sons deserve a country where leaders lead with dignity and decency and respect,” Albares said. “And so I am ready to be your fighter in the United States Senate.”
Crockett, a Navy veteran and business owner, presented himself as a frontline leader focused on action. “We need true leaders,” he said. “We don’t need someone who’s standing on the sidelines. We need someone who’s fighting on the front lines.”
In the 1st Congressional District, Lauren Jewett, who is running unopposed, won endorsement with 117 yes votes, 8 no votes and 7 abstentions. Jewett, a special education teacher, described herself as “a teacher, union member, and community advocate” who wants “a representative that gets up and fights for people in the halls of Congress.”
In the 2nd District, Troy Carter easily secured the party’s endorsement over Renada “Honey” Collins, 107 votes to 7, with 9 abstentions. Carter highlighted his record in Congress and his willingness to confront Donald Trump and Republican legislation. “I have not been afraid to stand up to President Trump,” he said. “I have not been afraid to call balls and strikes.”
Collins told members her focus would be on listening and applying practical solutions. “I don’t assert myself as the answer. I listen to you,” she said. “Information with no application is wasted, and I’ll have no more time to waste.”
In the 3rd District, John Day won endorsement with 60 votes, ahead of Tia LeBrun’s 37 and Caleb Walker’s 5, with 13 abstentions. Day told members, “We are Americans first,” drawing a contrast between that message and the politics of exclusion.
LeBrun centered her remarks on “our culture, our economy, and our future,” arguing that “we have to figure out how to save our coastlines.” Walker emphasized unity and communication, telling members that “everybody’s part of the community.”
In the 4th District, Conrad Cable defeated Matt Gromlich by a 95-13 margin, with 10 abstentions. Cable sharply criticized the country’s political leadership and said he was running so working-class people would be represented by someone “who is part of the working class, not the Epstein class.”
Gromlich used part of his remarks to question the process itself, telling the committee, “Democrats, we prided ourselves as the party that supports democracy,” and asking why members should ignore what he described as an anti-democratic process.
The 5th District produced one of the largest and most varied fields of the day. Garcia won endorsement with 81 votes. Jessee Fleenor received 11 votes, Tania Nyman received 10, Dan McKay received 5, and there were 13 abstentions. Larry Foy, though he spoke, did not receive any recorded votes in the final tally.
Garcia stressed the importance of treating digital communication as a serious political tool and argued Democrats should stand firmly on their values. “If we are serious about winning, then we need to start treating such things as such a platform as an asset,” she said. “When you already have truth, justice, and righteousness and the right side of history on your side, all you need to do is stand 10 toes down on it.”
Fleenor called for establishing a floor below which no one in society can fall, saying that “food and shelter are human rights.” Foy said he was running to protect healthcare access and prevent hospital closures in his community. McKay said his “biggest issue is stop Donald Trump” and called democracy the issue he supports most. Nyman said her candidacy was rooted in a willingness to take difficult positions whether they are popular or not.
In the 6th District, Cleo Fields, running unopposed, won endorsement with 111 yes votes, 1 no vote and 2 abstentions. Fields kept his remarks brief, telling members, “In November, we’re going to change, and we’re going to elect a new speaker of the House.”
In statewide races, Connie Norris won endorsement for PSC District 1 with 108 yes votes, 8 no votes and 7 abstentions. James Edward Green won the PSC District 5 endorsement over Austin Lawson by a 55-41 margin, with 19 abstentions. Hershey, who was unopposed and not present, won endorsement in the BESE District 1 contest with 78 yes votes, 9 no votes and 28 abstentions.
Taken together, the endorsements give the clearest picture yet of where the state party’s leadership is lining up before Democratic primary voters cast their ballots.