(Photo: Talk Business & Politics) LITTLE ROCK, Ark . So hats off to Gary Chambers of Louisiana, who did something in a new campaign ad in his bid for U.S. Senate that I dont think any candidate has done before: Smoke marijuana. He used to talk like this, Chambers said as viewers then saw Kennedy, the state Treasurer, sounding like the corporate attorney he used to be. Mixon models himself after Gov. Doug Jones, despite Kennedy not seeming to have run an actual campaign. And not some elegantly subtle vape pen either, but a big fat blunt, which Chambers smokes as his voice-over describes the toll of the war on drugs. But if history is any indication, an eye-catching campaign ad can lead to big success. As in other Southern states, the Democratic Party in Louisiana has declined because it has hemorrhaged White voters, said John Couvillon, a Baton Rouge-based pollster and demographer. Twitter/Screenshot by NPR "Im running for Louisiana Senate because its time for real change in Louisiana from a candidate who understands first-hand the challenges facing Louisianans every day, he said. The. We can make a change in Louisiana because there are more of us who are willing to help our neighbors and lift our communities, Gary Chambers Jr. said in a Facebook post this week just after announcing his candidacy. He now works as a commercial airline pilot. This image (made from video made available by the Democratic National Committee via the LBJ Library) shows a mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion in a 1964 presidential campaign television commercial titled "Peace, Little Girl" and known as the "Daisy" ad made by the DNC for Lyndon B. Johnson in his race against former Sen. Barry Goldwater. He assumed office on January 3, 2017. And hours before the story aired on FOX 8 on Thursday (Nov. 3) FOX 8 again contacted Kennedys camp and was told he was not available for an interview. FOX 8 spoke to those Democrats, Gary Chambers, Luke Mixon and Syrita Steib. Mixon, 42, a political novice, enters the race as a decided underdog against a the Republican incumbent with a $4.1 million war chest in what has been an increasingly red state. Yesterday, Gary had his first big victory-- and, believe me, it was big, something every underdog candidate prays for. There are more of us who want to see our children thrive and have a fair shot at a bright future and prosperous life right here in our state.. The primary will take place Nov. 8, 2022. Two Democrats -- Luke Mixon and Gary Chambers Jr. -- are challenging John Kennedy in U.S. Senate race. Kennedy, a Republican, is running for reelection. AP Photo/Democratic National Committee "Most of the people police are arresting aren't dealers, but rather people with small mounts of pot just like me.". Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, and Mike Johnson, R-Bossier City sent representatives to sign up for the race. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy is running for re-election this year with a campaign war chest that dwarfs those of his Democratic opponents. (KTAL/KMSS) - Democrat Luke Mixon is looking to unseat U.S. He represents our state poorly, he represents our nation poorly. They have strengthened their hand substantially since then, falling just short of a two-thirds supermajority in both houses. The primary is scheduled for November 8, 2022. Chambers faces tall odds simply because no Black candidate has won a statewide race in Louisiana since 1872, said Michael Martin, a history professor at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Gary Chambers Jr., pictured here in a file photo, is running against U.S. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana. The video starts with a little girl picking petals off a flower and counting. We are the lead polling Democrat by every independent poll. Luke Mixon is a Democrat running for U.S. Senate against John Kennedy in Louisiana. hide caption. Gary Chambers in his ad "37 Seconds." The ad highlights non-violent drug convictions. "We chose to use me smoking to talk about these glaring statistics and the need to do something about those statistics," he said. Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call/Bloomberg via Getty Images Democratic Gov. Troy Carter, Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Piper Griffin, Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, Mayor Adrian Perkins, District Attorney Jason Williams, and a variety of others candidates and political action committees. . Kennedy grills Biden nominee, questions 'radical' views, Republican legislators: Why we're against Joe Biden's infrastructure bill, Gary Chambers Jr. smokes marijuana in new ad for U.S. Senate seat, Our Views: Senate candidate Gary Chambers gets blunt, Gary Chambers wins first important endorsement in campaign against U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, U.S. Senate Democrat Luke Mixon is far behind John Kennedy in raising campaign dollars, John Kennedy begins 2022 with huge money advantage as he seeks re-election to U.S. Senate, Luke Mixon capitalizes on his military background to attack Sen. John Kennedy on Russia. All rights reserved. That ratio has flipped. in the upcoming midterm election. Kennedy, who has Trumps endorsement, is sitting on a pile of cash with $10 million in the bank. Chambers joins formerU.S. Navy fighter pilot Luke Mixon, a Democrat and political novice, as among those mounting bids to upset Kennedy. His video was not done for shock appeal, Chambers said. [3] Candidates [ edit] He is raising his two children, Samantha and Charlie, alongside his loving wife Renee. Mixon is also calling for the federal government to make quality day care available to all parents and to expand spending on early childhood education. It can be fixed but not until President Biden reverses his policies.". But Mixon, a commercial airline pilot who is married with two children, will try to duplicate the formulaGov. Chambersmade his mark on the political landscape last year when he showed surprising grassroots support in his race against political heavyweights Troy Carter and Karen Carter Petersonin the 2nd Congressional District race. WASHINGTON Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. weighed in Tuesday morningafterPresident Joe Biden announcedhis reelection campaign,saying he differs "profoundly on fundamental issues" from the president. These four candidates have announced and raised money for the Senate race, but five others also arrived to throw their hat into the ring by the end of the first day of qualifying. Sen. Kennedy had that opportunity on Jan. 6, 2021. (KNOE) - It appears Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) will have a challenger for his position on Capitol Hill. I hope you do, even if it's just $5 or $10. Senator John Boozman, R-Ark., in the GOP primary. He has also already assembled a core team of Louisiana-based political operatives who have worked closely with Gov. Kennedy is in the pole position after waltzing to reelection with nearly . hide caption. Carter, D-New Orleans, eventually beat Peterson, D-New Orleans, in the runoff to win the seat. Defend Louisiana has started running an ad attacking Kennedy for supporting abortion rights when he was a Democrat. Senator for Louisiana. Paul Waldman noted that "Every underdog candidate for office looks for a way to make a splash with an unusual move that gets everyone repeating your name, if only for a moment. See a spelling or grammar error in our story? The jungle primary, featuring Kennedy and all of his opponents, regardless of party, will be Nov. 8. On the abortion debate, none of the three-Democratic Party endorsed candidates would back a federal abortion ban. Senator John Kennedy. Republican Dan Lux is challenging Congressman Troy Carter, a Democrat. Gary Chambers, Jr. Is Running For U.S. Senate Against John Kennedy In Louisiana "37 Seconds" - Legalize Marijuana | Gary Chambers Ad #1 The chances of Gary Chambers winning next November are slim. As of 2020, despite legalization in a number of states, the ACLU says marijuana arrests are not trending downward. Chambers is running to unseat Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) "In his (Kennedy's) announcement video, he said, 'Ill never let you down, Id rather drink weed killer.' Coleman has no shortage of data to explain why Kennedy is heavily favored over either Democrat. ", Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter, Kennedy said during his campaign announcement that "corporate feudalism" in the country commodifies children,harmspeople with chemicals and prescriptiondrugs and weakensthe middle class. From 2000 to 2017, he served as the Louisiana State Treasurer.Kennedy was a member of the Democratic Party until 2007, when he changed his affiliation to Republican.. Born in Centreville, Mississippi, Kennedy graduated from Vanderbilt . Since the civil rights era, numerous Black candidates have run statewide, but none has won. Kennedy said the measure would increase the federal deficit and didnt direct enough of its dollars to actual infrastructure projects. U.S. Senate Democrat Luke Mixon is far behind John Kennedy in raising campaign dollars BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer Jan 31, 2022 Luke Mixon, a Baton Rouge pilot, announced Tuesday, October. So, I was going to give him some but he decided to leave. While the content is novel, Chambers' "37 Seconds" video follows a familiar tactic used in campaigns. FILE - Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal year 2023 budget for the FBI in Washington, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. There are still more registered Democrats than Republicans (31%) and independents (27%). Published: Nov. 3, 2022 at 6:50 PM PDT NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Louisiana voters will decide whether U.S. Its all noise. That being said, its not at all clear that his campaign has a path to victory either, said Albert Samuels, the chairman of Southern Universitys political science department. Mixon appears set to run a serious campaign against the incumbent. Republicans gained a majority in the Legislature in 2011 for the first time since Reconstruction. Kennedy has raised millions of dollars and is running TV ads critical of President Biden and Democratic policies. Rolling Stone, HuffPo, two big stories for Yahoo, his one and this one let's see: Boing Boing, People and Newsweek. MADISONVILLE, La. Luke Mixon, a Baton Rouge pilot, announced Tuesday, October 5, 2021 that he will challenge the reelection of U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy in the 2022 election. President to rally Americans to support the Ukraine war, LNL: 2024 Presidential hopeful Asa Hutchinson speaks to Local News Live exclusively Part 1, LNL: 2024 Presidential hopeful Asa Hutchinson speaks to Local News Live exclusively Part 2. In the coming months, each candidate will have the opportunity to show which message is most persuasive in a state where Democratic successes have sharply declined over the past 20 years, and where a climate of extreme political polarization poses a major obstacle. Marijuana, once a taboo subject for American politicians, is featured front and center in a new campaign ad out of Louisiana. Steib founded and leads Operation Restoration, a non-profit which focuses on current and formerly incarcerated women and girls. In 2008, Mixon graduated from the prestigious Strike Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN, and in 2012 he was recognized as the F/A-18 Attack Aviator of the Year. hide caption. His campaign manager is Ben Riggs, who until recently served as the state partys press secretary. Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, Luke Mixon, a Baton Rouge commercial airline pilot, signed up to run in the Nov. 8 election on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Mixon is a Bunkie native who graduated from the Naval Academy in 2001 and was a fighter pilot for 17 years with four deployments from aircraft carriers to support missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria,earning three Air Medals. ", data from the American Civil Liberties Union, Algorithm Targets Marijuana Convictions Eligible To Be Cleared. Two congressional incumbents U.S. Reps. Publishing a shocking campaign video a move used since at least the 1960s can get a candidate some serious name recognition, while they talk about major issues, said Adolphus Belk, a professor of political science at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Kennedy, meanwhile, has voted in near-lockstep with his fellow Republicans over the past five years, supporting programs favored by then-President Donald Trump and opposing the tax-and-spending policies pushed by President Joe Biden. Mixon grew up in Central Louisiana as a farmer's son, graduated from Bunkie High School and was selected to attend the U.S. All three yet to qualify, however, picked up opponents. Public Policy Polling, a progressive firm, has Kennedy winning outright in November with 53 percent of the vote. This ad latches on to a major issue in the U.S. and one that voters have majorly shifted on in recent years, noted Belk of Winthrop. Kennedy raised $3.3 million during the fourth quarter of 2021 . John F. Kennedy Jr., the son and namesake of the nation's 35th president, died 10 days after then-first lady Hillary Clinton made her first public moves to run for a soon-to-open U.S. Senate . Which may not be surprising for a man who came of age in the 1950s, when cannabis was still considered an evil weed consumed only by criminals and jazz musicians. But in the context of handicapping next year's U.S. Senate race in Louisiana, it . In his losing 2020 campaign, Donald Trump carried Louisiana with 58% of the vote, while U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, also a Republican, won re-election with 59%. The press of candidates filing of paperwork and paying of fees didn't let up throughout the day. Nineteenth Judicial District Court Judges Hunter Greene, Don Johnson and Beau Higginbotham are running for the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal, 2nd District, Subdistrict 1, Division B. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Kennedy, first elected in 2016, served on the Senate Committees on Appropriations, Banking, Budget, Judiciary, and Small Business through the campaign. Mixon is hammering away at Kennedys vote against Bidens giant infrastructure package that the Democratic Congress approved last year, with support from Cassidy and a few other Republican senators. He faces a steep uphill battle in the U.S. Senate race to unseat Kennedy, the 70-year-old incumbent. Health care costs are bankrupting families, yet Sen. Kennedy voted to end coverage for over half a million hard-working people in our state. I wanted to attend the Naval . Mon, July 12th 2021, 6:46 AM PDT. Prior to his election to the Senate, Kennedy served as state treasurer for five terms, serving in theposition from 2000 to 2017. He had the opportunity to do the right thing, to speak the truth, to uphold his oath to the Constitution and defend our democracy. U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, hasnt announced his plans. (Photo by Max Becherer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) He has served since Jan 3, 2017. Questions about Social Security and Medicare come up each election cycle. Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, helped craft the infrastructure deal. Mixon went on to graduate from the Naval Academy in 2001. Senator John Kennedy, a Republican, is re-elected to another term in office.
