If, as a political candidate, you have little in the way of campaign resources commensurate with the office you seek, a shot of free publicity surely can’t hurt—unless it risks making you look like a crank.

That’s the situation in which Republican Senate challenger Sammy Wyatt finds himself. Very few in Louisiana likely noticed his mid-March announcement to run against GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy. Originally from Shreveport, Wyatt has a background in law enforcement—primarily in Bossier City—followed by work in private security. After an unsuccessful run for Bossier City Marshal, he pursued graduate studies at LSU. He now serves as Chief Compliance and Investigation Officer for LSU Health-Shreveport, a senior administrative position. In 2022, he unsuccessfully applied for the police chief’s position in Shreveport.

Wyatt is positioning himself as a consistently ideological conservative in line with the agenda of Republican Pres. Donald Trump. It’s unknown how much financial support his campaign has picked up, since he first filed with the Federal Election Commission on Apr. 1, the day after a quarterly report would have been required with the next due at the end of the month. But likely, it is very little.

Up to this point, his candidacy has been greeted with a yawn because of the presence of GOP Treas. John Fleming in the race. Fleming spent eight years in Congress and four years working in the Trump Administration–plus he has a formidable bankroll through the end of March. He’s raised almost $300,000 and loaned himself over $2 million—making him an instant contender. And, his reputation in government has established him as a consistent conservative who, in some ways, was stumping for Trump’s agenda before Trump was first elected.

With the closed primary system returning and the election set for next spring, Fleming increasingly appears to be the lone serious challenger to Cassidy. Other names have been floated, but Rep. Clay Higgins, perhaps the most viable alternative, has passed on the race. With only nine months to go, the window to mount a viable campaign is closing fast.

Fleming also polls well. In a March survey conducted before Higgins bowed out, he led Cassidy 51 percent to 33 percent in a two-man primary. That leaves little room for an underfunded, low-profile candidate like Wyatt, whose positions are largely indistinguishable from Fleming’s—minus the name recognition, resume, or resources.

So why vote for Wyatt? His one distinguishing factor may raise more questions than enthusiasm: his academic credentials. He claims to have earned a Ph.D. in “Human Resource Education” from LSU in late 2017. But LSU doesn’t appear to offer a doctoral degree by that name. It’s possible the degree was renamed or discontinued—perhaps now called the Ph.D. in Leadership and Human Resource Development through the School of Leadership and Human Resource Development—but the discrepancy invites scrutiny.

As well, Wyatt is suddenly in the news again. The far-left news website Louisiana Illuminator dug up complaints against the LSU Board of Supervisor’s Esperanza Moran, appointed last year by GOP Gov. Jeff Landry, where she allegedly jawboned LSU Health-Shreveport personnel to make a house call—threatening their jobs in the process. Moran is believed to have been a prime mover behind recent leadership changes at the state hospital now under private management, including one individual she allegedly berated. After a Senate panel vetted her nomination last month, before the current legislative session adjourns, it will decide whether to confirm her nomination (nominees may serve without confirmation through the next regular legislative session).

Whistleblower complaints were filed with state authorities. But Wyatt took things further—submitting a separate complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, even though Moran has no formal authority over him; officially, only the board can act on administrative roles, and even then, only over Wyatt’s boss. Plus, half a year ago he wrote a letter directly to Landry, writing that her alleged actions were damaging to his personal and professional reputation, disrupted his work, and debilitated public trust in the institution. Landry’s office reportedly never replied.

Most intriguingly, the letter as distributed through a public records request hinted that Wyatt had launched his own investigation, seemingly using state resources into Moran and her friends, claiming as well to have made referrals to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement and threatening more legal action. All of this apparently took place before he announced his Senate bid.

Regardless of the veracity of the supposed incident, Wyatt’s reaction may strike potential voters in a number of ways not exactly helpful to support his candidacy – overreactive, whiny, or plain bizarre. So, it looks like we’ll get a field test of the old saw that “any publicity is good publicity” as Wyatt rolls out his long shot candidacy.