(The Center Square) − Sharp partisan differences emerged among candidates for Louisiana’s open 5th Congressional District seat Monday, as Republicans and Democrats offered opposing views on inflation, the war with Iran and the role of the federal government.

The online forum, hosted by the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, featured Republicans state Sen. Stewart Cathey, state Reps. Mike Echols and Gabe Firment and Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell, along with Democrats state Rep. Pat Moore and attorney Dan McKay.

Louisiana’s congressional election is scheduled for Nov. 3, with a Dec. 12 runoff if no candidate wins a majority.

Asked what Congress should do about inflation and affordability, the Republican candidates largely prescribed the typical conservative fixes: smaller government, lower taxes, deregulation and increased domestic production.

Echols called for producing more goods, reducing federal regulations and lowering individual and business taxes. Firment pointed to Louisiana’s recent insurance legislation as an example of using competition and deregulation to lower costs, while Cathey argued federal spending, permitting requirements and regulation are contributing to higher prices.

Cordell also called for spending cuts but emphasized expanding Louisiana’s workforce through higher education, credentials and trade programs.

“49% of our state only has a high school degree or less, and the governor has brought in lots of opportunity here into this into our state, and to be able to grow more people that become that go from dependents to independence through education, credentialing, trades, skills. I think that’s really going to be a long-term fix,” Cordell said.

Moore and McKay instead focused heavily on the war with Iran, arguing it has driven up fuel and other costs and should be ended.

McKay further pointed to President Trump’s tariffs and trade wars as not only driving up costs, but alienating key allies like Canada, Japan and Australia.

Asked about their support for President Trump’s efforts to destabilize the Iranian regime, the Republican candidates toed the line and all said they supported the war.

Echols described Iran as a “big bully in the Middle East” and said he supported Trump holding the country accountable, while acknowledging the conflict had produced short-term economic pain.

Firment said Trump was justified in protecting U.S. interests and argued preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon outweighed the potential economic consequences. Firment also called “radical Islam perhaps the greatest threat, not only to our republic but to democracy around the globe.”

Cathey offered a more measured defense, saying U.S. policy should focus on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons through economic pressure, diplomacy and, when necessary, military capabilities.

“We have had a long-standing national security objective to prevent the nuclear proliferation in Iran, and it has spanned multiple administrations,” Cathey said. “So we need to continue to use economic pressure, diplomacy, and when necessary, our national security capabilities to keep Iran from acquiring any nuclear weapons.”

Cordell said she supported Trump’s decision and described Iran as a threat to U.S. security, saying Iran has “continuously been a bull”.

Neither Moore nor McKay agreed.

McKay called the war illegal and argued Trump’s military and trade policies were destabilizing energy markets and international commerce. Moore said Congress should not have entered the conflict without authorization and questioned what plan exists to bring it to an end.

The candidates also split over federal food assistance while discussing the long-delayed Farm Bill.

Firment said Congress needs to pass a new bill to give farmers certainty and advocated opening new markets for Louisiana timber, reducing regulations and reconsidering how crop insurance is structured.

Cathey, a former chairman of the Louisiana Senate Agriculture Committee, said some of agriculture’s biggest challenges extend beyond the Farm Bill. He argued American farmers face disadvantages against foreign competitors and suggested countries receiving U.S. aid should be required to first purchase food from American producers.

Moore and McKay, meanwhile, called for protecting or restoring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

“We can afford to feed people in this country,” McKay said, arguing SNAP also benefits farmers by increasing demand for agricultural products.

Moore similarly tied food assistance to the agricultural economy, saying cuts to SNAP hurt both low-income families and producers. About 70,000 households in the previous 5th Congressional District received SNAP benefits, according to federal and hunger-relief data. Louisiana redrew the district for the 2026 election, and comparable SNAP enrollment figures for the new boundaries are not yet available.