Louisiana voters elect political newcomer to fill open congressional seat

Louisiana voters are going to the polls Saturday in a special election race that will send a Republican to Congress - either the candidate with a 'Duck Dynasty' endorsement or the more-establishment candidate in state Sen. Neil Riser.

Riser and the more-outside candidate Vance McAllister advanced to this weekend's election after an October contest with more than a dozen other candidates from both political parties -- in what is known as a 'jungle primary.'

The 5 ^th Congressional District seat, in this heavily Republican section of northern Louisiana, was left open when GOP Rep. Rodney Alexander resigned this summer to take a Cabinet post in GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration.

In last month's election, Riser finished ahead of McAllister, taking 33 percent of the vote compared to 18 percent. But neither got the 50 percent needed to be declared the outright winner.

Many GOP races from 2010 onwards have in some form been a Tea Party-vs.-establishment candidate showdown.

However, Riser has doubled as the establishment candidate and the Tea Party favorite, promoting his experience but promising strident opposition to President Obama.

McAllister, meanwhile, has embraced his outsider status, complete with an endorsement from his close friend Phil Robertson, the patriarch of television's hit series 'Duck Dynasty.' McAllister is running as the more measured pragmatist, criticizing Washington gridlock and hyper-partisanship, particularly on Obama's health care law.

An ally of Jindal, Riser had his campaign up and running almost immediately after Alexander announced his resignation in September. The timing prompted cries of favoritism, though Jindal, Alexander and Riser deny any collusion.

Riser is touting his decades-long experience as a businessman in the funeral industry while arguing his insider experience has led to significant legislative accomplishments such as helping get a state constitutional amendment passed that strengthened gun rights.

'I see a very clear distinction in the fact that I've made the votes,' Riser said. 'These aren't just talking points for me.'

He has endorsements from the Tea Party of Louisiana and FreedomWorks, a Tea Party-aligned national political action group.

Conservative activists say it's McAllister, who's never held public office, that they worry would be the go-along-to-get-along congressman who isn't conservative enough.

McAllister counters eagerly with his newcomer status.

'I am not part of the establishment; I'm just part of the district,' said McAllister, a largely self-funded candidate who argues that it shows he won't be beholden to anyone in Washington.

When Robertson endorsed his friend, he explained that McAllister has 'the least political experience.'

Despite that profile, McAllister isn't pushing the 'blow the whole place up' mantra that some GOP primary candidates have offered in similar conservative enclaves around the country.

While he's critical of the atmosphere in Washington, he doesn't blame it exclusively on Obama. He also points a finger at House Republicans' 40-plus votes to repeal Obama's health insurance overhaul.

'I will vote to repeal it if there's a vote right now today,' he said in a recent debate.

'But the truth of the matter is you stand on a platform and pander for votes on something that can't be repealed,' he told Riser.

McAllister says Republicans should show the president respect and that the best course on health care is to work on improving Obama's signature law since he was re-elected and Democrats still control the Senate.

Both candidates describe themselves as conservatives - opposing abortion, favoring strong gun rights and criticizing Obama's policies generally. Both criticize the levels of federal spending and debt.

'I don't think there's a lot of difference in the policy, per se, because we're both true conservatives both fiscally and socially,' McAllister said.

The winner of the race will take office in time to vote on the next round of budget resolutions in January and, almost certainly, a vote soon after on whether to raise the nation's borrowing limit. Those votes were set up by an October deal to end a partial government shutdown driven by GOP opposition to the health care law.

Riser said he opposes efforts to raise the debt ceiling, saying spending should be cut instead. McAllister wasn't so absolute. He conceded he'd be willing to raise the debt ceiling if the increase was coupled with federal spending cuts and a long-term deficit reduction plan.

news3blog.blogspot.com contributed to this report.