FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2019
Contact: Kaleb Harmon
kaleb@lademo.org

Louisiana Democratic Party Making Historic Advancements in 2019

Baton Rouge, LA – The 2019 qualifying period saw a continuation of historic advancements and achievements the Louisiana Democratic Party has made over the last several years as we continue our fight to turn Louisiana blue in 2019. 

“As Democrats, we’re used to being the underdog but we have consistently defied the odds here in Louisiana,” Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party said. “We beat the odds in 2015 when we elected a Democrat to the highest statewide office, and we’re beating the odds now as we break records and see the most Democratic women running for office in Louisiana’s history. We still have a lot of work to do and pushing Louisiana forward will always be an uphill battle, but we are committed to the families and the future of our state. Throughout the highs and lows of Louisiana, we will stand by this state and do everything we can to fight for Democratic values at home. But make no mistake – 2019 will continue to be a record year for the LDP.” 

The Louisiana Democratic Party is hosting trainings across the state to recruit and train new candidates who will push our state forward. In 2018, the Power Up trainings hosted all across Louisiana saw over 400 Democrats who learned the ins and outs of politics and elections in the state. That number only grew in 2019 with our True Blue Summit and our True Blue Night School which trained more than 250 candidates, staffers, and volunteers to take on the 2019 election.

In 2018, Louisiana Democrats saw historic representation with every Congressional seat having a Democratic contender in the race – the first time in over a decade. This momentum continues in 2019 as Louisiana Democrats are in races that we haven’t been in over a decade. Candidates such as Lori Callias in House District 71 are ensuring a Democratic option for the people of their districts for the first time in years. New candidates have been inspired by the progress we’ve made these past four years and are committed to continuing it up and down the ballot.

This year with our partners in the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses we have a record number of women qualified to run for State House and Senate seats in 2019. Of the seventy-seven women running for Louisiana’s Legislature, forty-three are Democratic women. This record number of women running wouldn’t have been possible if not for Democratic women’s organizations around Louisiana such as Emerge Louisiana who trained eighteen of the candidates seeking a legislative seat this October.

The Louisiana Democratic Party also has extremely talented and qualified candidates for these races up and down the ballot.

  • Ike Jackson, running against Jeff Landry for Attorney General, has over 25 years of legal experience, including serving our state as General Counsel of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and Assistant Attorney General of Louisiana. 
  • Darrel Fairburn, a candidate from Loranger for Senate District 12, was Superintendent of Washington Parish Schools for over 13 years. Fairburn was named Louisiana Superintendent of the year in 2016 and has spent decades advocating for the children and families of his community. 
  • Dr. Belinda Davis, running for House District 70, has spent the last 14 years as a professor at Louisiana State University and has been a tireless advocate for public schools and education reform in Baton Rouge and across Louisiana. 
  • Dr. Beverly Brooks Thompson, a candidate for Senate District 16, has an extensive resume ranging from 25 years in the public sector promoting economic and workforce development, quality education attainment and healthcare to being named Alumnus of the Year for the LSU College of Human Science and Education in 2017. 

These are just a few of the qualified candidates from all across the state the Democratic Party is excited to support and elect this October. 

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