Higgins' challenger calls congressman 'Barney Fife'

Greg Hilburn | The News Star

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BATON ROUGE — Acadiana Congressman Clay Higgins drew three challengers on the first day of election qualifying here Friday with one calling the him the "Barney Fife" of Washington.

Higgins, a Republican with the backing of President Donald Trump, is expected to qualify for re-election by proxy on Thursday.

All six of Louisiana's Congressional seats will be on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Fifth District Congressman Ralph Abraham, R-Alto, qualified Wednesday by proxy, as did 2nd District U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, leader of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Fourth District Congressman Mike Johnson, R-Benton, 6th District Congressman Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, and 1st District Congressman Steve Scalise, R-New Orleans, the Republican majority whip in the House, are all expected to qualify in person Friday.

Lafayette attorney Mimi Methvin, a Democrat, said Higgins portrayed himself as a John Wayne-style lawman in videos that helped propel him to an upset victory two years ago.

"But he's been more like Barney Fife doing the bidding of the GOP hierarchy," said Methvin in comparing Higgins to the bumbling deputy.

Rob Anderson, another Democrat from DeQuincy, also qualified to challenge Higgins for his 3rd Congressional District seat.

"(Higgins) is just a place-holder for the Republican Party," said Anderson, a free-lance author who said he will focus on campaign finance reform if elected.

"My campaign is purely what's best for the people; not what's best for the donor class," Anderson said.

Both Democrats are seen as long shots to unseat Higgins in what has been a Republican and Trump stronghold, an assertion that motivates Methvin.

"I love to be underestimated," said Methvin, who spent 26 years as a federal magistrate and has operated a private law practice and mediation firm since 2012. "It will be a great pleasure to prove the naysayers wrong."

But Higgins also drew a Republican opponent, attorney Josh Guillory of Lafayette, who created a stir when he landed former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to headline a fundraiser.

"The biggest difference between (Higgins) and myself is that I live in the district, and that's important," said Guillory, referring to Higgins' Port Barre residence.

Guillory said he's honored "to have the support and advice of 'America's mayor,' referring to Giuliani, but "at the end of the day the only endorsement that matters is the 3rd District."

He criticized Higgins for voting to increase the debt limit. "You can't tell us you're a conservative and vote to consistently raise our debt," Guillory said.

Scalise drew three challengers Wednesday. They include: Jim Francis, D-Covington; Howard Kearney, Libertarian-Mandeville; and Tammy Savoie, D-New Orleans.

Justin Dewitt, D-Baton Rouge, who said he was the first openly gay candidate to run for Congress in Louisiana, qualified to challenge Graves.

Richmond drew three opponents — Shawndra Rodriguez, no party-Baton Rouge, Jesse Schmidt, no party-Gretna, and Belden "Noonie Man" Batiste, Independent-New Orleans.

Qualifying will continue through Friday.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1