Editor’s Note: A guest post by state Rep. Paul Hollis (R-Mandeville)…

Last Friday, I found myself in an unfamiliar place – court.

I wasn’t there to fight a traffic ticket, but instead for something much more substantial: representative democracy.

I can’t say I was surprised when media reports late last month called into question whether Sen. Mary Landrieu actually lives in Louisiana. Anyone that has followed her time as a United States Senator knows Landrieu has become more and more comfortable as a part of the Washington, D.C. establishment. You don’t build a multimillion dollar mansion to live in it part time, and over the years Landrieu made no secret of her new home.

But finding out Landrieu doesn’t have anything more than a – at best – nominal presence in Louisiana struck a nerve.

I decided to take a stand and to do something about it. I knew it would be an uphill battle, but I wanted my day in court. Senator Landrieu needs to be held accountable for leaving Louisiana behind, physically and mentally.

Our Founding Fathers never intended for elected officials to lose touch with their states and become full-time residents in a city a thousand miles from the people they represent. So I took my stand. I had my day in court and I fought for what I believe in. When the time came, Landrieu’s lawyers didn’t even argue that she was actually a Louisiana resident. Their arguments came down to technicalities about the appropriate timing for the case to be brought. It was hardly the kind of robust defense you would expect someone to mount if they actually lived where someone said they didn’t.

But Louisianans have a bigger problem than where Mary Landrieu lives. The larger issue is how Mary Landrieu votes.

After 17 years in Washington, Mary Landrieu doesn’t vote with Louisiana in mind. From backing ObamaCare – the largest tax increase in our nation’s history – to standing with amnesty advocates, supporting gun control measures to voting for higher spending and deeper debt, Senator Landrieu is more concerned with advancing her political career by appeasing Washington insiders than standing firm for our conservative Louisiana values. After walking lockstep with President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for so many years, it’s clear that Landrieu is not one of us. She’s one of them.

That’s why this election is so important. Regardless of a single court case, the election and the choice Louisiana voters have in front of them this fall will have a profound impact on the future of the state and the country.

Electing Mary Landrieu will mean more of the same kind of failed policies that have gotten us in this current situation in the first place. But fortunately we’re not bound to that future. We can be bold and help America pivot to a brighter tomorrow by electing Bill Cassidy, a strong conservative with the experiences, character and Louisiana values necessary to right the ship.

Mary Landrieu is still on the ballot this fall. But together we can make sure it’s her last time.