Last week, former Rep. Jeff Landry, who has been an occasional contributor to the Hayride, dropped some hints that he’d have an announcement soon which would make an impact on Louisiana’s upcoming Senate race.

Lots of people took that to mean Landry would run as a more conservative challenger to Bill Cassidy, who will be challenging the incumbent Mary Landrieu for that seat.

Nope. That wasn’t what Landry was hinting at. This is…

Former Louisiana Congressman Jeff Landry launched a new super PAC today with the goal of electing conservative candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Restore our Republic PAC will seek to support principled, courageous candidates who will fight for individual liberty, economic freedom, personal responsibility, a strong national defense and traditional values.

“In today’s political environment it is not enough to support candidates who espouse conservative ideas,” said Jeff Landry. “Restore our Republic will look for freedom-loving candidates who have the courage and conviction to stand up for conservative principles even when the pressure is great. As a former member of Congress, I know how important it is to elect conservative reinforcements to help many of my former colleagues who are already leading the fight for freedom and prosperity.”

Restore our Republic is an independent expenditure committee and can raise unlimited campaign contributions. To learn more about Restore our Republic, visit www.RestoreOurRepublicPAC.com.

Members of Congress have expressed their enthusiastic support for Restore our Republic.

“Restore our Republic PAC will help elect true conservatives to Congress who will fight for limited government and fiscal responsibility. We can use the help!” – Rep. Mick Mulvaney (SC-05)

“Restore our Republic is positioned to elect conservatives who are willing to put it all on the line, fighting for a future of opportunity and prosperity that can only be found in America. The greatness of tomorrow, of our republic, is worth the cost.” – Rep. Tom Graves (GA-14)

“We can’t afford to waste opportunities to send real conservatives to Washington. Restore our Republic PAC is fighting every day to elect leaders who are going to fight to defend the Constitution and restore our great nation.” – Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03)

“Now, more than ever, we need strong principled conservatives fighting for real change in the House. Restore Our Republic PAC is the organization committed to doing that.” – Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-06)

Landry had put together a group of representatives when he was in Congress called the “Cajun Caucus,” so named because they’d sit around with him as he boiled crawfish or made gumbo, and they’d discuss ways to dismantle the RINO establishment and let the air out of the Washington bubble. Landry didn’t last long enough in DC to make the difference he wanted, but with the new endeavor he’s hoping he’ll be able to do a lot of what Jim Demint was able to do with the Senate Conservatives Fund – which bankrolled most of the Republican Party’s new breed of talented anti-establishment senators.

So far there hasn’t been a congressional equivalent of SCF, but Landry’s looking to fill that hole in the market.

And the Beltway gang will hate him for it. That you can take to the bank.

What does it have to do with the Senate race, though? As it turns out, not much. Landry was doing some salesmanship there. What this PAC will affect, though, is the race to succeed Cassidy. Per the POLITICO story on the new venture…

Landry, who raised $2.3 million for his 2012 reelection fight, said he’s confident there’s unclaimed fundraising turf for a group aimed solely at the House, even if other groups — like Club for Growth and FreedomWorks — spend some share of their budget on lower-chamber elections.

Republicans — including conservative outside groups — poured a huge sum into trying to take the Senate in 2012, but the end result of all that spending was a net loss of two seats.

“We’ve had a number of discussions with donors who have expressed a frustration with the lack of protecting conservatives in the House of Representatives, and so we feel like we’re going to give those donors a vehicle they can invest in,” the Louisianan said. “A lot of the big groups, the big super PACs, have a tendency to focus on Senate races.”

It’s going to be interesting to see to what level Landry’s group plays in the 6th District race here in Louisiana and who he ultimately backs out of what appears to be a very crowded field.