Senator Bill Cassidy has a new challenger for his seat, Baton Rouge Democrat and Louisiana Juvenile Justice Advisory Board member Antoine Pierce.
Cassidy’s 2017 vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act partly inspired the run and Pierce says Cassidy misled the public about how many people would lose coverage under his replacement plan.
“He did fail the Jimmy Kimmel test, which I did confront him about, I confronted Bill Cassidy at a town hall in 2017 about why he lied to Kimmel and why he lied to the people of Louisiana about his decision on healthcare,” says Pierce.
Cassidy disagreed with Kimmel’s claim, saying more people would have coverage under his plan.
Pierce says Cassidy is beholden to moneyed special interests and needs to be replaced with a Senator who focuses on working-class economic issues.
“He can’t point to a single thing that he has done for people here on the ground, working class people. I can tell you what he has done for the very wealthy but he can’t point to policies that make sense for working people,” says Pierce.
Pierce’s platform includes support for Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage, recreational cannabis legalization, and other progressive policy points.
The Capitol City coffee shop owner says the state’s senior Senator lacks independence, and is too beholden to President, like many in the GOP.
“It’s the party of Trump now, and they’re following his lead. What he says goes, and that’s it,” says Pierce.
Cassidy won the seat in 2014, beating incumbent Mary Landrieu 56-44.
