One of the more highly-contested legislative races this year can be found in Senate District 22, a Lafayette/New Iberia-area district which has been represented by Fred Mills for the past 12 years. House Republican Delegation chairman Blake Miguez is the favorite in the race, but he’s being challenged by multiple others, including sugar grower, semi-pro MMA fighter and the favorite of the good-ole-boy crowd in the Louisiana legislature (specifically, House Speaker Clay Schexnayder and Senate President Page Cortez), Hugh Andre.

In a tense debate last week, Miguez stunned the audience by revealing that Andre doesn’t even live in the district he aims to represent. Miguez asked, “Why don’t you love Senate District 22?” as Andre struggled to respond, creating instant tension. How can a candidate authentically represent a community when they don’t even live among its people? The moment was captured on tape, immortalizing Andre’s stunning lack of credibility.

The moment was clarifying to an extent, as it marked Andre not so much a candidate but as a stand-in for the status quo crowd. Cortez, Schexnayder and friends put him in the race simply to stop Miguez, one of the most outspoken voices in the Legislature for fiscal sanity and conservative reform.

Here was a video Miguez made for the Louisiana Freedom Caucus PAC last week…

Blake Miguez is a member of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus. pic.twitter.com/UkhDXthZ3R

— Scott McKay (@TheHayride) September 5, 2023

This was not just a debate; it was an unmasking, leaving voters questioning: if Hugh Andre can’t even commit to living in the district, can he be trusted to represent it?