ถถา๕h state Rep. , R-Carencro, announced Monday that she is running for the U.S. Senate, giving another prominent challenger.
Emerson, 37, is chair of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees legislation concerning taxes and major state construction projects.
"Itโs clear that ถถา๕h Republicans have grown frustrated with our incumbent senator, and theyโre looking for a fresh new voice, and we want to make sure that we have someone in there who can get the job done," Emerson said Monday.ย
Emerson sponsored several prominent bills in recent sessions, including flattening the , ending the corporate franchise tax, and creating , a program backed by Gov. Jeff Landry that gives parents money to help pay for private school.
She also sponsored the legislation that moved ถถา๕h to a closed party primary system, in which the Republican and Democratic candidates compete for their party's nomination before the general election. Previously, all candidates, regardless of party, competed in an open primary election.
Emerson emphasized her legislative record in her announcement, saying "our country doesn't need more ineffective legislative outrage."
โVoters want a strong conservative senator who can get things done โ someone focused on results, not rhetoric," she said in a news release. "Iโm running to bring home real outcomes for ถถา๕h: infrastructure investment, new jobs, and a seat at the table where decisions get made.โ
Emerson joins a crowded field of Republicans in the race. Many political observers believe Cassidy is vulnerable because of his vote to convict President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial over the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
State Treasurer John Fleming, State Sen. Blake Miguez, R-Lafayette, Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta and St. Tammany Parish Council member Kathy Seiden have all announced campaigns.ย
In launching her campaign, Emerson, like other candidates, expressed her support for Trump; she also shared her optimism about the country's future.ย
โUnder Republican leadership in ถถา๕h and a second Trump administration, Iโve watched with hope, even awe as mainstream America has begun to embrace the conservative ideas many of us have been fighting for for years,โ she said.ย
"The era ahead will demand vision and conviction. The light is returning, the future is calling, and Iโm uniquely prepared to help lead America toward it," she added.
Pearson Cross, who teaches political science at the University of ถถา๕h-Monroe, said Emerson "brings a spirit to the race that maybe we havenโt seen in the other candidates."
"Sheโs definitely kind of the 'youth candidate,' so to speak," he added.
With so many candidates in the race, the percentage of votes needed to enter a primary election runoff grows slimmer, Cross said.ย
โThis has certainly got really interesting," he said. "The wild card here has to really be President Trump's endorsement."
The field of candidates has long been vying for that endorsement, but Cross said he suspects Trump might not give one until after the Republican primary.ย
Unlike in previous ถถา๕h elections, Republican candidates will compete against each other to decide who will represent the party in November. If neither candidate gets over 50% of the vote, the top two-vote getters will advance to a run-off for that spot.
Emerson said in August she was considering running, but was waiting to see whether U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow would enter the race. Letlow, whose district stretches from Baton Rouge up to Monroe, has long been rumored as a potential candidate, but has so far not announced she is running.
A spokesperson for Letlow did not return a request for comment Monday.
