Simmering tensions among ambitious senators at the state Capitol burst into the open Wednesday – sort of.
The skirmish pitted Sen. Stewart Cathey against Sen. Blake Miguez and involved members of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Cathey, a Republican from Monroe, seriously considered running for the 5th Congressional District seat that U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow is vacating to try to unseat U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. Miguez, a Republican, is running for the seat even though he lives just outside of New Iberia, nearly 100 miles from the district, which extends from Baton Rouge to Monroe.
At issue before the committee was Cathey’s . It asks Congress to support changing the constitutional provision that allows members of Congress to live outside of their districts. Cathey made it clear that he was targeting Miguez.
What ultimately happened Wednesday illustrates how business is typically conducted in the h Senate.
The Senate committee had three items on its agenda. It dispatched two of them, then got to Cathey’s SCR9.
That’s when things got interesting. Six committee members — Miguez, committee chair Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen; Sen. Mike Reese, R-Leesville; Sen. Greg Miller, R-Norco; Sen. Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge; and Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport — all walked into a side room where they could discuss matters privately.
Normally, senators work out touchy subjects beforehand. They had obviously not done this yet on Cathey’s bill.
A contentious Congressional race
Here’s the back story that confronted them: Miguez had been challenging Cassidy in the Senate election for months but exited that race on Feb. 3 after . Instead, Miguez announced, he would run for Letlow’s seat .
That didn’t sit well with Cathey. The following day, referring to the president’s praise of Miguez, Cathey tweeted, “Somebody lied to @realDonaldTrump!”
On Feb. 11, Cathey set aside his interest in running for the office, saying Trump had made “the wrong choice.”
State Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, state Rep. Michael Echols of Monroe, and Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell of Monroe are also running in the May 16 Republican primary.
Back to the committee hearing: When his colleagues left, Sen. Mike Fesi, R-Houma, remained at his seat at the committee dais.
Asked why by a reporter sitting in the audience, Fesi replied, “I don’t think there should be a discussion. I don’t want to be in it because I know what I’m going to say.”
Minutes later, Selders emerged from the side room and joined Fesi on the committee dais.
Wasn’t he supposed to be part of the side discussion?
“I’m a rookie,” joked Selders, who was elected to the Senate only a year ago.
‘A glass of water’
Five minutes later, Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, strolled into the committee room and headed to the side chamber.
“I just want a glass of water,” he said with a smile on his face.
Henry departed five minutes later. The senators came out soon after, minus Miguez, the committee vice chair.
Cathey took his seat at the witness table and explained why he wanted them to approve his resolution.
Cathey said he was opposed to what he called “congressional carpetbagging.” He described it as “candidates forcing themselves into areas where they are not necessarily wanted.”
Cathey said he had lived in the district all his life but noted that one of the candidates didn’t live there.
Cathey didn’t mention Miguez by name — but then he didn’t have to.
Cathey asked for his colleagues’ support.
Kleinpeter noted that no one had a question for him. That indicated the senators had privately agreed to allow it to die a quiet death.
But Fesi, not having joined the discussion, spoke up.
“Doesn’t the residency require you to live in the state?” he asked.
Yes, replied Cathey, but not in the congressional district. He added that state legislators have to live in their districts.
“We have up to 25 congressmen [throughout the country] who don’t live in their district as of right now,” persisted Fesi. “What kind of firestorm would this start?”
“People would be represented by legislators who actually understand the district, live in the district that they represent and actually vote for themselves,” Cathey replied.
He then asked for a favorable vote.
But no senator spoke up to move the resolution. In fact, no one said anything. As a result, Kleinpeter said it would be reported “without action.” That essentially killed SCR9.
What happened?
So what happened in the side room?
In an interview, Kleinpeter indicated that Cathey hadn’t discussed the resolution beforehand with the committee members, so they had to take a break to work it out.
“It’s a sensitive subject,” Kleinpeter said.
Senators, he added, “like to be respectful. We don’t throw hand grenades like the House does.”
Cathey, in an interview afterward, accused Miguez of “political opportunism,” saying, “Our needs are a lot different in northeast h than New Iberia.”
Miguez did not return a phone call.