LaPolitics: There has been quite a bit of conversation about the direction forward for House Republicans and the challenges encountered this term. There’s even talk about changing bylaws to create an official nomination process for speaker elections. What’s the biggest challenge the House GOP faces right now and how should it be addressed?
House GOP delegation chair Blake Miguez on the party’s top challenge: “It’s exciting to witness firsthand the unprecedented growth of the House Republican delegation, but with growth comes challenges. These challenges are not all bad. When you go from a majority party to a soon-to-be supermajority party, challenges aside, I still would never want to trade places with the folks on the other side of the aisle. The biggest challenge for our delegation as a whole is maturing into our new dominant role in the chamber. I am encouraged by the conversations our members are having about solutions to problems we face because it shows an initiative to do better as a group. Our work together is defining a path towards a stronger and more unified House Republican delegation.”
LaPolitics: What are the chances the GOP gains a larger footprint in the House next year? Miguez: “Where are those opportunities located on the map? Our chances are very high of gaining a supermajority in the House next year. Being only one vote away, there is always a chance of it coming early before the next general election. There is an opportunity to get as high as a two-vote margin depending on how some races go next year. I won’t count my chickens before they hatch but I am building a larger chicken coop to prepare. I co-chair the well-funded Republican Legislative Delegation Campaign Committee and we intend to get heavily involved in legislative races next year to build stronger Republican majorities in both chambers.”
LaPolitics: What’s the policy agenda look like for the House GOP in the next regular session, the last of the term?
Miguez: “It is still early to give specifics but I can tell you that members have an appetite for finding additional solutions to improve the tax code in Louisiana. This next session being a fiscal one will give members a greater opportunity to do so. I also know that when members returned home to their districts after the legislative session they were met with constituent concerns about inflationary cost, specifically those increased costs surrounding property insurance. Recent hurricanes have not only destroyed our local communities but they have devastated our property insurance markets. Much like in the post-Katrina environment, legislators will be tasked with working together to incentivize more competition in the market, which in turn provides much-needed cost savings to homeowners. Our constituents are being faced daily with increased cost on all of their household expenses and the Legislature wants to do its part to help relieve these burdens.”
Mississippi dollars: Personal injury attorney Hunter Lundy, an independent from Lake Charles, received a bit of help from the Mississippi trial bar last night as he launches his bid for governor of Louisiana. Lundy, who appears to be the first formally announced candidate for governor, had a fundraiser hosted by several attorneys at the Blind Tiger in Biloxi.
Looking for a wild time: The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation will host its annual flagship fundraiser A Wild Night on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at Live Oak Arabians in Baton Rouge. Tickets are $100 per person and a reserved table for 10 is available for $1,500. Get more information here.
They said it: “Uh oh, gotta go. I just walked up on a bunch of wild hogs and I don’t need those bastards charging me.” –State Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield, during a phone interview with the USA Today Network of Louisiana Newspapers, via journalist @GregHilburn1.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com . Follow him on Twitter , or on Facebook . He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com .