October 14, 2023 was an amazingly significant day in Louisiana.  On that day, we the people elected an overwhelmingly conservative supermajority in both the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Senate.

This red wave was not limited to voting Republican over Democrat.  There was a lot of that to be sure, but the most surprising result of that day was the number of centrist Republican and RINO politicians that were thrown out of office in favor of more conservative representation.  It was the election of true conservatives vs. those carrying the Republican label just to help them get elected that was truly significant from where I am sitting.

This was obvious in the gubernatorial race where Jeff Landry beat a field of fourteen other candidates who were less (or not at all) conservative without a runoff, or even breaking a sweat as far as that goes.  But there were many more examples of the conservative wave in Louisiana down the ballot as well.

Former speaker of the house (elected by a coalition of fellow RINO’s and Democrats) Clay Schexnayder ran a distant fourth in the secretary of state race despite arguably having the highest name recognition in the field.  A much more conservative Nancy Landry led all Republicans in the primary and easily won the runoff even though no one knew who she was before 2023 rolled around.  Schexnayder’s antics in the house and his constant betrayal of all things conservative clearly caught up with him, and he was sent to early retirement.

Don’t shed any tears for him, though.  It is widely reported that he has landed a cushy job with the cannabis industry after pushing their questionable agenda through the legislature with even more questionable methods.  That agenda is now being overturned, with the legislature in effect telling him to take his THC with him when he leaves.

In Senate District 22, Blake Miguez easily cruised past four opponents with 61% of the vote and no need for a runoff.  This was despite the rumored attempts by the RINO establishment (Clay Schexnayder & crew) spending heavily to try and defeat Miguez.  Apparently, Miguez was a conservative thorn in their sides.  But once the dust settled, Miguez was easily in the Senate, and Schexnayder is at home.  And the RINO’s did not get any return on their investment in that race.  But I hear that the people in the area are truly grateful for the RINO funded economic stimulus program with all the campaign spending last fall.

In Senate District 13, Valarie Hodges absolutely crushed Buddy Mincey (a notorious RINO and Clay Schexnayder minion) by a margin of 65% to 35% in a district that looked like Mincey drew it himself to give him the best chance of getting elected.  That sounds bad, but it was even worse than that.  Mincey won only one out of a total of sixty precincts, and that by only 15 votes.  He lost the early vote and for the icing on the cake, he lost his home precinct by a 61% to 31% ratio.  Apparently, his neighbors weren’t happy with his performance either.  That was an abysmal performance by any measure, and Hodges is a much more conservative voice in the senate.

This was a regular occurrence throughout the legislative races.  Alan Seabaugh beat a well-funded moderate challenger in Mike McConathy in Senate District 31.  In the house, Danny McCormick, Michael Melerine, Chuck Owen, Kellee Hennessy Dickerson, Shane Mack and others all won against competition from the left.  Wins by centrists and RINO’s did happen, but they lost a lot more than they won.

So where do we stand five months into this new, more conservative state government?

As is usually the case, we are learning that a lot of people who won offices by telling us just how conservative they were might not have been telling us the whole truth.  To be sure, there are some great new conservatives in the state legislature.  Some real rock stars.  But there are also some real disappointments.

Cameron Henry is at the top of that list.

He has a track record as a strong conservative and that is what he was elected to be.  Sadly, he has completely surrendered his conservative credentials at this point.  He seems to have embraced his role as the leader of the Establishment Cool-Kids Club.

Henry is not alone, though.  It appears that a lot of politicians think that they can move into the Establishment Cool-Kids Club now that the election is over.  It is obvious that the club has not yet been disbanded and is actively seeking new members.  Many of these politicians get elected and then it becomes more about becoming entrenched in the Club and taking care of each other than it is about making decisions for the betterment of the state.

They cease to care who is a Democrat and who is a Republican, and it just becomes about who is in the Club with them, and how do they all stay there. Or, in the case of Cleo Fields, a member of the Cool-Kids Club despite being a partisan and wholly corrupt Democrat, getting to advance to Congress on the strength of a district drawn just for him.

People like Miguez, Hodges and Seabaugh are NOT in the club, never will be in the club, and seem to be just fine with that.  So, they are free to do what is right instead of what is best for their friends and themselves.

Which is what the voters asked for last fall.

Notwithstanding the poor performance of the Louisiana Senate in the legislative session which ends today, I truly believe that this state is waking up.  We have had enough of good ole boy (and girl) politics.  It feels like the voters will continue to throw the devotees of the Cool-Kids Club out on their collective ear, little by little – it’s clear that the momentum to do that has been building over the past couple of election cycles.

I am looking forward to more RINO’s being sent home, and I don’t think that I will be disappointed.

Cameron Henry, are you listening?