Jason Says Vote, Louisiana!

Candidates: 

• Senator Mary Landrieu (D): U.S. Senator (1997-present), LA Treasurer (1987-1995), State Representative (1979-1987) Senate campaign site. 
• Congressman Bill Cassidy (R): U.S. Representative (2008-present), State Senator (2006-2008) Senate campaign website.

Jason's Bottom Line:

• This is another tough southern race for Democrats. Ever since Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana has been drifting to the right. Large portions of liberal-residents from New Orleans failed to return after the storm. As a result, the state that had consistently elected Democrats to state-wide offices has been reticent to do so in the recent past. This is also a slightly tricky race because the November 4th election isn't the final say if no candidate tops 50% of the vote. In that case, there will be a run-off election on December 6, 2014.  
• Mary Landrieu is a down-home girl. Her dad, Moon Landrieu, was the New Orleans mayor and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Carter. Mary's brother, Mitch, is the current Mayor of New Orleans. Landrieu is one of the most conservative Democrats in the U.S. Senate. 
• Bill Cassidy is the most likely victor on the Republican side of the ticket on November 4th. He's rated as an average Republican - meaning that he votes with the Republican party the majority of the time.

Issues:

Access to Affordable Health Care

• Mary Landrieu: Landrieu is a long-time supporter of increasing access to affordable health care. Even before the ACA she fought for common-sense solutions to expand access to health care - co-sponsoring a bipartisan plan to ensure all Americans have affordable care. An independent analysis found that the plan would save taxpayers nearly $1.5 trillion over 10 years. She has consistently voted to expand access to CHIP and Medicare, negotiating prescription drug prices, making health care more transparent, and many more.
• Bill Cassidy: Cassidy, a physician, has led the fight in the House to defund the ACA. He's voted to turn Medicare into a voucher program, reopen the Medicare doughnut hole, and repeal investments in public health. He proposes that we repeal the ACA and replace it with some vague, as-yet determined, Republican alternative. He voted no to expanding the CHIP program. He voted to shut down the government in order to defund the ACA.
• Winner: Mary Landrieu
• Senator Landrieu is a strong supporter of increased access to health care.

Education/Student Debt

• Mary Landrieu: She has been a long-time leader on education reform. In 2007, she proposed a major bipartisan overhaul of the No Child Left Behind Act, focused on results instead of testing. In 2007, Landrieu voted for the most sweeping changes to federal student aid programs in nearly 15 years, cutting interest rates on student loans and increasing Pell grant awards. Senator Landrieu's Passport to the Middle Class initiative seeks to help lessen the burden of tuition increases for students. 
• Bill Cassidy: The Congressman opposes decreasing student loan interest rates and voted to block efforts to help Louisiana college graduates with crushing loan debt. Cassidy also voted for the Republican budget which cut Pell grants and eliminated the in-school interest rate subsidy for undergraduate student loans. 
• Winner: Mary Landrieu
• Landrieu believes in making education more attainable - regardless of your socioeconomic status. Congressman Cassidy continually votes to make college harder to reach. 

Pay Equity/Workplace Protections/Expanding the Middle Class

• Mary Landrieu: Senator Landrieu supports raising the minimum wage. She is a long-time supporter of Paycheck Fairness and Equal Pay for Equal Work. She is also a supporter of ENDA. 
• Bill Cassidy: Congressman Cassidy opposes raising the minimum wage. Cassidy voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and opposed the Paycheck Fairness Act. 
• Winner: Mary Landrieu
• She will continue to work hard to protect individual and worker rights.

Reproductive Rights/Women's Health Care

• Mary Landrieu: She supports the right to choose, has voted to protect Planned Parenthood funding, and voted to increase common sense sex education funding. Landrieu has a 92% rating for 2014 with Planned Parenthood and a 87% 6-year rating. She has a 100% rating from NARAL.
• Bill Cassidy: Bill Cassidy has fought tooth and nail to limit abortion access - and funding for Planned Parenthood. He even tried to cut funding to any sex education that used the word "abortion." Cassidy has a 0% 2014 and 6-year rating from Planned Parenthood, 0% from NARAL, and 0% from Population Connection. 
• Winner: Mary Landrieu
• Senator Landrieu will continue fighting for a woman's access to reproductive care. 

Marriage Equality

• Mary Landrieu: supports same-sex marriage. 
• Bill Cassidy: opposes gay marriage and believes that marriage is a religious institution that is between one man and one woman.
• Winner: Mary Landrieu
• While it is a recent evolution - it is an evolution non-the-less.

Bipartisanship/Willingness to Work Across the Aisle

This is a big one for me as I deal with Congress every day for work. The willingness of a member to bridge the partisan divide is so important to get anything done. The super-partisanship of Washington is the reason that Congress is dysfunctional and has the lowest approval ratings ever. 

• Mary Landrieu: Landrieu is a centrist-Democrat. She works well with both parties - fighting to expand the middle class and bring opportunity to her state. Democrats work well with her on health care, the economy, and protecting the social safety net. Republicans work well with her on energy policies, the economy, and some health issues. 
• Bill Cassidy: Cassidy is a rank-and-file Republican. He votes with his party most of the time, and hasn't shown a real willingness to work across the aisle to get things done. 
• Winner: Mary Landrieu
• Louisiana needs to keep Landrieu - her work ethic and bi-partisanship are a huge asset for the state.