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Endorsements

LA Congressional District 1 – Lauren Jewett

Recommendations

Public Service Commission District 1 – Chris Justin Orleans Criminal District Court Section H – Leon Roche Mayor of Abita Springs – Sandra Slifer 24th Judicial District Court Div F – AGAINST Marko Marjanovic

On the day when the thermometer of universal suffrage shows a boiling-point among the workers, they as well as the capitalists will know where they stand.

-Friedrich Engels

DSA is the largest socialist organization in US history and our candidates’ recent electoral successes are causing capitalists to take aim. Attacks by elected officials and their hack advisors (Mitch Landrieu, Steve Scalise, James Carville, Quinn Hillyer, 220 members of Congress) make clear they see our rising popularity as a threat. 

Meanwhile, the Republican governor, attorney general, and state legislature supermajority continue making us miserable for a bigoted president’s profit, and the billionaires are dropping the veil. They’re taking our land, polluting our water and stealing our electricity, and they don’t want these elected officials talking about it. Elections are not enough, but we know that elections in this country remain one of few ready outlets for the working class to express our collective political wishes.

Join our movement of “friendly door-knockers, immigrant advocates, economic and social theorists, kind mutual-aid groups, and hardworking labor organizers” today. Read our political program Workers Deserve More to see what our organization fights for. And if you want to fight for that future, become a member today.

The Workers Deserve More program is our benchmark for candidates in this voter guide. What kind of vision do they advocate for? Do people who oppose our vision either materially or politically support the candidate? If a candidate is already elected, how has their time in office moved our area towards our socialist vision? How do other candidates stack against DSA candidates?

Our chapter makes endorsement and recommendation decisions democratically for our voter guides, and our appendix at the end explains the distinction and processes. DSA member Lauren Jewett is our only endorsed candidate this cycle, working to join other DSA endorsed socialists heading to Congress. Learn more about her and the other candidates on your ballot below. 

Federal offices

Our federal government is one of the most reactionary bodies in the world right now. The Senate obstructs any attempts to hold the president accountable. The House, led by two Louisiana Republicans, continues to focus on culture wars and literal wars, but not on the affordability crisis, ecological crises, or rising reactionary movements against people of color, immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. DSA continues to advocate for increased democratic representation, including abolishing the electoral college and the Senate. Where do these candidates fit in this vision?

Workers Deserve More

Thriving Working Class Communities  ★ Freedom to Flourish ★ ★ Housing For All ★ ★ End Mass Incarceration and Police Immunity ★ ★ Healthcare For All ★ ★ Finish Reconstruction ★ ★ Feminism For All ★ ★ Green New Deal ★ Working-Class Foreign Policy ★ End the U.S. War Machine ★ ★ Free Palestine ★ ★ End Blockades, Embargoes, and Sanctions ★ ★ Abolish ICE ★ Working-Class Democracy ★ Democracy For All ★ ★ A Real Democracy ★ ★ A Democratic Congress ★ ★ Economic Democracy ★ ★ Democracy At Work ★

US Senate

After Trump did January 6th, incumbent Bill Cassidy momentarily had the temerity to break party lines and vote to impeach him. Julia Letlow (R) has toed the MAGA line on her way to replacing her late husband Luke Letlow in the House, which made her Trump’s pick over Cassidy for the Senate. Letlow stands opposed to nearly every policy in our Workers Deserve More vision for a vibrant working-class democracy. She supports Meta’s $50 billion north Louisiana data center enough to sign an NDA with a Meta shell company, buy shares in the company, and then sell them after the deal went through. She voted against two war powers resolutions limiting Trump’s War on Iran; she denies the result of the 2020 election; and she filed for immigration cases at Angola to be moved in front of Trump-appointed judges.

By contrast, Tensas Parish farmer Jamie Davis’s (D) platform focuses on working people’s needs. As insurance, power, and gas price hikes squeeze ordinary Louisianans, he puts affordability at the center of his campaign. He opposes tax breaks for the rich, wants to raise the minimum wage, and wants to build affordable housing. He has also called for a moratorium on data centers, which suck up much-needed water and electricity from surrounding regions (though he’s stopped short of criticizing Meta as a company). A Davis win would give Louisiana its first Black senator since Reconstruction. That said, Davis doesn’t have lots of experience: his only elected office is one four-year term as police juror from 2015-2019. Davis has been endorsed by Voters Organized to Educate, AFL-CIO, and a slew of Democratic Party-leaning organizations. 

US House, Congressional District 1

New Orleans DSA has endorsed Lauren Jewett for Congressional District 1.

DSA candidate Lauren Jewett (D) has been a classroom teacher for nearly two decades, and recently taught at the city’s only district-run public school, the Leah Chase School. Her deep commitment to socialism has earned her our endorsement in her last two campaigns. She’s been a longtime member of the United Teachers of New Orleans union and advocates for returning the charter school system to community-run schools that answer to a democratically elected school board. She advocates for accessibility justice, labor organizing, and fair election maps free of gerrymandering. Jewett has been vocal about abolishing ICE, adopting a moratorium on new data centers, and moving away from a fossil fuel economy. She refuses to accept any corporate PAC money, including from AIPAC. During our chapter endorsement Q&A, Jewett stated her opposition to sending U.S. military aid to Israel due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, noting she does not want taxpayer dollars spent on military aid and bombs that harm children and families, advocating instead that these funds support basic quality of life needs like education and healthcare. 

In addition to the our chapter’s, local endorsements include the AFL-CIO, VOTE, Independent Women’s Organization, Forum for Equality, and national organizations like Everytown for Gun Safety, Center for Freethought Equality, Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence, Courage for Democracy, National Organization for Women, and more. Jewett has earned endorsements from the local Democratic party and aligned organizations like IDEA and Indivisible NOLA. 

This race paints a stark contrast between DSA and the Republican establishment, like 18-year incumbent Steve Scalise (R). We can go on and on and on and on about the self-described “David Duke without the baggage.” Instead, let’s look at how much worse he’s gotten since the last time he was re-elected to Congress. He is a war hawk who has supported the illegal military actions in Iran and Venezuela. He fully supported the genocide in Palestine and arming the apartheid Israeli regime. He has been a longtime supporter of the barbaric blockade of Cuba. He supports expanding ICE funding, more data centers, and more oil & gas drilling. He wants more funding for cops and the Pentagon. If there is a single candidate on your ballot most representative of the collapsing American empire, it’s Steve Scalise. 

Randall Arrington (R) continues in vain to run as the Republican alternative to Steve Scalise. He avoided a partisan primary for the Republican nomination when Jeff Landry canceled it after thousands of votes had been cast. Teen Angel‘s brand of anti-communist rhetoric just isn’t enough to convince conservative voters he’s any more fascist than the incumbent. Here’s bonus coverage of his 9/11 heroics on his Instagram. 

E. ‘Liddy’ Glass’s (No Party) platform is mostly about dismantling the two party system, with some advocacy to stop pollution from major industrial projects in Norco and near SpaceX launch sites. Her AI-generated campaign materials include conservative tropes like limiting government and lowering taxes. She and 2nd Congressional District candidate Rocky Beach share the website, “No More Party,” run by former Republican candidate J. Frankie Hyers. Their political pitch is the undemocratic nature of the duopoly, but they don’t recognize capitalism’s role in reinforcing that duopoly.

US House, Congressional District 2

The incumbent and favorite in House District 2 is Troy Carter (D) after replacing Cedric Richmond in 2021. Carter is strong on some progressive causes like Medicaid, introducing a bill to use federal funds to pay for state-level efforts to maintain Medicaid coverage. (That bill has been bogged down – and may have died – in committee). He advocates tougher regulation on AI, but also says it has “the potential to be a very powerful tool” – which he likens to drones. He is working on legislation to require a watermark on AI. He has also, however, reneged on his promise to not accept fossil fuel donations, and his donors include Nucor, Entergy, and AIPAC. Unsurprisingly given that last donor, he has consistently supported aid to Israel (even standing and clapping war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu in the House). He was previously in the news for being a negligent landlord, as an Algiers Point house he owned was hit with 14 code violations before it caught fire in 2019. Previous DSA voter guides from 2024 and 2022 indicate Carter’s trajectory as a congressman 

Peter Williams (R) switched from Democrat to Republican in 2025 due to his “conservative principles.” Those principles include being anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and pro-gun ownership. He ran as a Democrat for the 6th District in 2024, before racist gerrymandering moved him into the 2nd.

Lisa Ballay (Libertarian) is a nurse and Senior Director of Surgical Services at LCMC. This libertarian thinks competition makes everything cheaper and better: health care, cost of living, property insurance, rent. Two exceptions are Social Security and Medicaid. According to her campaign website, she “supports maintaining a meaningful safety net and protecting the dignity of older Americans and of people who genuinely need help,” and that “Congress has an obligation to protect access to essential healthcare while demanding that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively.” It’s unclear what either of these positions would look like in practice.  

Walter “Rocky” Beach (No Party) is a paramedic and founder of the advocacy group “EMS Reform.” His entire platform is about emergency medicine. No other issues, all EMS, all the time. And while having an interest is good, there are things besides EMS that a congressmember should care about.

Renada Collins (No Party) doesn’t have a campaign page, has never held elected office, and her only previous candidacy was last year for mayor when she announced The Wedding of Renada & New Orleans.

Statewide and Multi-parish

Public Service Commission, District 1

The Louisiana Public Service commission regulates electric, water, wastewater, natural gas, and telecom utilities, and intrastate transportation and pipelines. It is a three-Republican, two-Democrat board, including Baton Rouge DSA member Davante Lewis. District 1 spans multiple parishes in Southeast Louisiana and was previously represented by Republican Erik Skrmetta on the PSC, leaving the Republican majority up for grabs.

The PSC has its hands full with a number of issues, including data centers (and their corresponding major donors), Entergy’s fossil fuel usage, and lesser known services like phone calls for incarcerated people. This election cycle featured major party primaries for the first time this spring, while No Party candidates moved immediately to the general election.

Workers Deserve More

Green New Deal  Implement massive investment in sustainable, publicly owned energy and transit infrastructure. Phase out the use of fossil fuels. Democracy For All Expand and protect voting rights and end voter suppression. A Real Democracy End political corruption and legalized bribery. Economic Democracy Enact aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals and corporations to spend on public goods and infrastructure.

New Orleans DSA recommends Chris Justin for Public Service Commission.

After the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling gutted the Voting Rights Act, term-limited Republican State Representative Stephanie Hilferty (R) voted for the racist congressional map that eliminated a majority-Black district. Representing the predominantly white Lakeview, Lakeshore, Bucktown and Lakefront neighborhoods, Hilferty is a rare Republican in the Orleans delegation and has continued to sell herself as a moderate who can work across the aisle with local neoliberal Democrats Joe Giarrusso and JP Morrell on economic development and reforms to the Sewerage and Water Board. However, Hilferty has repeatedly shown during her tenure in Baton Rouge that she’s yet another MAGA party line vote on the worst legislation coming out of the capital. We noted in previous coverage that votes to increase mandatory sentences for nonviolent felonies and an unconstitutional law forbidding people from being within 25 feet of a police officer scored her a 36% from VOTE. She also voted to ban medical treatments for transgender youth, and to require libraries to restrict “sexually explicit” material, which is code for banning all LGBTQ materials.

Hilferty bills herself as a “watchdog,” but how many dog treats does she plan to take from the companies she’s supposed to watch? Over half of her contributions come from utilities she would regulate if elected, including over $40,000 in the primary. She also views data centers as a “positive” in a state struggling to keep the lights on even during fair weather. Her website offers no policies, but her social media features a bootlicker award from the sheriffs’ association and a platform of mostly neoliberal reforms that would continue burdening working class people with the costs of corporate greed. Hilferty’s legislative voting record, campaign finance, and her support for racist legislation disqualifies her from your vote.

No Party candidate Chris Justin wants to service your pole. He’s also an electrical engineer who wants to do this work. He has advised the PSC on energy efficiency and has reviewed utility company filings to see how they shift the costs to consumers, he gives an in-depth platform of specific reforms, and he openly talks about how Meta’s data center is a bad deal for Louisiana and the need to oversee utilities like Magnolia Water. He has raised significant funds without relying on utility company dollars, receiving contributions from the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, Climate Cabinet PAC, and the Environmental Defense Action Fund. Justin is endorsed by the Greater New Orleans AFL-CIO, the Alliance for Good Government, and VOTE. 

Justin’s engineering background may appear somewhat technocratic to the regulatory oversight of PSC with a focus specifically on energy utilities. However, he is the only candidate with specific proposals that would shift the burden of paying for infrastructure and utilities back to the corporations, as well as making corporations pay for residential housing upgrades like solar retention & electrification. He is the only candidate who specifically identifies the guaranteed profits for public utilities are excessive, and wants to reduce the guaranteed rate of corporate profits. Lastly, his campaign contributions highlight a commitment to not taking money from the companies regulated by PSC in contrast with Hilferty. 

The only Democrat in this race has no website and no campaign social media. Connie Norris’s (D) campaign is self-funded with a $20k loan, two monetary contributions of $110, and two large in-kind contributions from the Louisiana Democratic Party for print materials. She is a retired nurse of 50 years who “eventually became an intervenor in… requests to the LPSC for permission to raise its rates on customers” against private equity utility Magnolia Water. Norris says she’s running explicitly to fight Magnolia rate increases, noting that her health started to be impacted around the time Magnolia Water took over her water service. In her few media interactions, she has advocated for her Northshore community for safe drinking water and against increased costs.

Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, District 1

Our readers may recall our previous coverage of BESE and our endorsement for Lauren Jewett for this seat. This board appropriates state funding and oversees educational standards over hundreds of thousands of public school students and staff.

Workers Deserve More

Freedom to Flourish Expand public resources to support recreation, learning, and social spaces accessible to all. Provide free, quality public education from pre-K to college. Feminism For All Stop gender violence and end policies that oppress bodily autonomy and intimate life, including patriarchal restrictions on gender expression and transition. Democracy at Work Empower workers to come together and fight the boss. Protect, expand, and enforce the rights of all workers to form, join, and strike with their unions, regardless of industry.

After Republican incumbent Paul Hollis stepped down to serve as the director of the US Mint, Governor Jeff Landry appointed former Congressman Joseph Cao (R) to serve on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for District 1. Landry has requested to nearly double the funding for the LA GATOR program as well as increase the amount of recipients by about 4,000. The private voucher LA GATOR program, or the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise program, provides families with public funds for tuition and other educational purposes, such as tutoring, textbooks, and uniforms. With recent data showing that most applicants are already attending private school and that a mere 4% or recipients have documented disabilities, it’s unlikely that these funds actually go to students and families that desperately need them.

Joseph Cao was elected to Congress in 2008 against incumbent William Jefferson after the scandal broke on Jefferson’s corruption charges and money hidden in a freezer. He has since gone on to lose every election he’s been in since, including his 2010 Congressional re-election campaign and getting less votes than David Duke in the 2016 Senate race. Cao is a proponent of the voucher program and has expressed support for Governor Jeff Landry’s expansion of the project. His campaign website spends more text on anti-communist Vietnamese history than policies he will support if elected, such as anti-trans hysteria in children’s sports. 

Angela Hershey (D), a retired high school teacher, has expressed concern over the LA GATOR program because of the impact it will have on students with disabilities. As private schools are not required to provide accommodations for students with disabilities, this will allow them to be continually underserved. She has correctly pointed out that this program will continue to divert funds from our already underfunded public education system, stating “The private schools do not have to provide accommodations. They do not have to take everyone that comes in the door.” Hershey also is concerned about the weakening of certification requirements, noting her experience as a science teacher and the processes she’s gone through.

State Constitutional Amendment #1

Q: Do you support an amendment to allow the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran with a service-connected disability, who receives the additional property tax exemption, to make a one-time transfer of the additional property tax exemption to a subsequent qualifying property?

Louisiana’s homestead exemption excludes the first $75,000 of a primary residence’s fair market value from property tax assessment. Upon the homeowner’s death, this benefit transfers one time to their spouse. Amendment 1 would allow spouses of veterans with service-connected disabilities to transfer the homestead exemption to another property they reside in one time. 

This amendment only applies to a select few Louisianians and would ultimately only be a drop in the bucket. Local services like public schools and libraries rely on property taxes for their funding, and every new tax exemption for property owners threatens local public services. Here’s an idea for the state legislature if they want middle-lower class tax relief: cap or outlaw sales taxes. Let’s see how Louisianians respond to that one.

State Constitutional Amendment #2

Q: Do you support an amendment to allow a local taxing authority to continue to levy a lower millage rate without losing its ability to adjust to the maximum authorized millage rate from a prior year’s reassessment?

Tax authorities (cities, parishes, and state agencies) can adjust property tax rates within a statutorily authorized range. If a tax authority lowers a property tax rate, they have a deadline to restore it to previous levels before the lowered rate becomes the new maximum. After that, it cannot be raised back to what it was without voter approval. Approving this amendment would eliminate the deadline and allow tax authorities to return to the maximum authorized by voters at any time. 

State Constitutional Amendment #3

Q: Do you support an amendment to prohibit a defendant from being released on any post-conviction bail if the defendant is convicted of an aggravated offense against a minor child?

A judge already can already prohibit post-conviction bail when the circumstances call for it, and this power is essentially unreviewable. We don’t need a constitutional amendment to prohibit it. While cash bail is evil, the choice is better than automatic incarceration. This amendment sets a bad precedent for more “bail amendments” that bloat our constitution with lists of crimes we want to deny bail for.

State Constitutional Amendment #4

Q: “Do you support an amendment to prohibit a person who has served more than one and one-half terms as governor from being elected as governor for any future term?”

There currently exists a limit on governors serving three consecutive terms, but not from serving more than two terms in their lifetime. This constitutional amendment will bar them from ever serving a third term after serving for more than one and one-half terms. Currently, this would prevent former governors Bobby Jindal and John Bel Edwards from running for re-election if they so desired. This would also prevent Jeff Landry from running again if he is elected for a second term.

State Constitutional Amendment #5

Q: Do you support an amendment to authorize a state retirement system to apply any nonrecurring state monies it receives to any of its unfunded accrued liability rather than requiring application to its oldest unfunded accrued liability?

Under current laws, when there’s a state budget surplus, the state is required to pay its oldest debts to retired state employee pensions first. Amendment 5 would allow the state, namely the legislature, to instead pick and choose which debts get paid first. The current system sets a predictable and relatively fair standard. This amendment instead opens up the possibility for paying debts according to political convenience or the desires of the well-connected.

State Constitutional Amendment #6

Q: Do you support an amendment to authorize parishes and municipalities to extend an additional property tax exemption for property subject to the homestead exemption that is owned and occupied by a person who is at least sixty-five years of age and who qualifies for the special assessment level? 

Amendment 6 proposes a property tax exemption up to $30,000 for homeowners 65 and above. Because seniors can already freeze their assessment, this additional exemption could drastically reduce their future property taxes. It’s tiered by age: homeowners 65-69 qualify for $6,000 off their assessment, 70-74 for $12,000, and 81 and above for $30,000. In New Orleans, where retirees who own in gentrifying neighborhoods struggle with rising property taxes, this exemption could help. Older adults are the fastest-growing homeless population, and as socialists, we support the right of older people to financial stability. This bill passed unanimously, indicating widespread support.

There’s also a downside: at 0.55%, Louisiana’s property tax rates are already among the lowest. The median property tax payment is under $1,200. The anti-property tax movement has a long and gnarly history including California’s infamous Prop 13 in 1978, which robbed the state of funding for social housing, community colleges, and other essential services, and was a key victory of Reaganist social austerity. Enshrining this exemption will continue to drain the state’s coffers and redistribute money upward to the wealthy instead of the social services and schools that desperately need it.

State Constitutional Amendment #7

Q: Do you support an amendment to allow for the use of public funds by a political subdivision for the purpose of identifying, inventorying, removing or replacing drinking water utility service lines made of or affected by materials as specified or prescribed by the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, promulgated October 30, 2024, or subsequent promulgation, on property owned by utility customers?

State Constitutional Amendment #7 would allow for the use of public funds to upgrade drinking water pipes on private property. This is intended for property owners to remove lead-lined pipes on their property. The funds for this are already available, and while voting yes will enable their usage, the amendment does not make it clear how the funds will be distributed. Will the people who need it the most be able to access it?

State Constitutional Amendment #8

Q: Do you support an amendment to prohibit expropriation of property by a foreign adversary or an agent of a foreign adversary?

In May, the legislature approved Act 474 allowing the state to take land within 50 miles of a military base that is “under the control of a foreign adversary.” Republican sponsor Valerie Hughes now says we need to add Amendment 8: “We’re not going to let our foreign adversaries or foreign terrorist orgs around our critical infrastructure,” but nonpartisan analysts such as the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana call this legislation redundant with existing state law. 

Who is a “foreign adversary?” The federal government decides, and there are National Guard headquarters within 50 miles of both the Meta data center and SpaceX facility being built in Louisiana. Trump holds millions in data center stock and is determined to win the AI race against China even if it comes at ordinary Americans’ expense: “[Iran] could take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay.”

State Constitutional Amendment #9

Q: Do you support an amendment to increase the maximum amount of income a person may receive and still qualify for the special assessment level for residential property receiving the homestead exemption?

Seniors who earn less than $100,000 per year in income are able to get a special assessment that keeps their property taxes from increasing as their property values increase. This is a good thing, because working class seniors sometimes find the value of their property increases greatly due to gentrification and other factors, and a large property tax burden could force them out of their home. However, Amendment 9 seeks to increase that income limit to $150,000 per year. The median income in Louisiana is just a bit over $60,000 per year. Raising the income limit would therefore not benefit working class seniors. Increasing this exemption would remove $50,000 of eligible taxable property from tax assessments for local parishes. This would risk depriving seniors of valuable public services if those services continue to lose funding to endless property tax exemptions for people with high incomes.

State Constitutional Amendment #10

Q: Do you support an amendment to allow property tax exemptions for blighted or derelict properties that have been rehabilitated, and to require the legislature to enact laws providing for administration of these exemptions?

Amendment 10 would grant property tax exemptions for rehabilitated properties that used to be blighted or derelict. Residential properties could receive exemptions up to 75% of their assessed value for up to 20 years. Vacant lots adjacent to a residence or commercial structure could get exemptions up to 25% for up to 10 years. Local governments would decide whether to participate and how much relief to grant. The law, however, does not require an exempt property to remain habitable.

So who benefits, and who pays for it? These tax breaks could encourage the rehabilitation of neglected properties, improve neighborhood safety, and give local governments a tool to address blight. However, with no limitation on the number of rehabilitated lots that qualify for the exemption, major developers could benefit substantially. And when local governments collect less property tax revenue, that means less money for schools, roads, sanitation, and health and safety. Fixing blighted properties can be a worthwhile goal; is it worth the loss of revenue and the chance for major developers to receive long-term tax advantages at the expense of working-class people?

Orleans Parish

PW HRC Amendment – Amends Sec. 6-103 – CC

This amendment to the City’s Home Rule Charter would “prohibit any allotment and expenditure of City moneys from exceeding the amount allocated… and to require monthly reports to the City Council… to ensure they remain in line with the approved budget.”

Will this require the City to update the public on when spending is getting out of control? Yes. The previous Council had no mechanism requiring departments or the Chief Administrative Officer to submit updates on their finances, requiring Council, the Inspector General, and the media to dig up NOPD’s millions of unbudgeted overtime dollars.

Will this amendment stop police spending overages? Not really. Council can do what they always do and amend the budget to move dollars to NOPD, as they did several times last year when NOPD went over its operating budget due to excessive overtime from New Year’s and the Super Bowl not being capped in the budget. This crisis gave way for austerity cuts last year and into this upcoming year’s budget.

Workers Deserve More

End Mass Incarceration and Police Immunity Demilitarize police departments, disempower police unions, and redirect funding to public services as steps towards fully abolishing the police and prison system which protects the rich and jails the poor. Treat drug addiction and mental illness as health issues, not crimes. End qualified immunity and empower civilian oversight bodies with real authority over the police.

Constables typically serve eviction notices, subpoenas and other legal documents. Some also handle private security and school crossing details. Civil court judges handle non-criminal cases including lawsuits and successions. Criminal court judges hear criminal cases and, alongside the District Attorney and NOPD, are responsible for incarceration rates and jail overpopulation.

Constable – 1st City Court

Kristi Boissiere August is chief deputy to current constable Lambert Boissiere and got his endorsement after Lambert withdrew from the election. She has not filed any ethics paperwork for campaign contributions.

Insurance adjuster and transportation company owner Willie Jones has run for state representative, lieutenant governor, and public service commissioner. He’s currently serving on the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee.

Judge – Criminal District Court, Section H

New Orleans DSA recommends Leon Roche for Section H.

Incumbent Judge Camille Buras (D) is the longest-sitting judge at Tulane and Broad, mostly due to not having a challenger to her seat since her first and only competitive election almost 30 years ago. If she wins, this will be her last term in office. Prior to being a judge, she was a prosecutor and the first assistant at the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office under Harry Connick Sr.’s tenure marked with prosecutorial misconduct and tough-on-crime over-prosecution for drug-related offenses. While working with the district attorney’s office, she served as the chief of the Narcotics Strike Force and chief of the Economic Crime Unit. After joining the bench, she presided over the Orleans Parish Drug Court.

In 2015, Buras and other judges were caught in a controversy surrounding the Judicial Expense Fund, a shared slush fund filled with fines and fees from criminal defendants. This included purchasing 85 life insurance benefits and luxury SUVs. Attempts to get public records were blocked by the courts, resulting in a lawsuit. Judge Buras took out a public ad as part of an agreement with the Judiciary Commission stating she pledged to pay back any benefits she received. However, due to the nature of the web of judiciaries and judges that protect other judges, the public has no knowledge of whether these payments were actually completed unless the court is compelled to release any information on the matter. In her current term as judge, her case load is one of the lowest in the building by avoiding trials altogether while racking up a higher than average rate of guilty pleas for felonies. 

Buras took in over $50,000 in contributions during the initial stages of the campaign, including a max donation from local billionaire and pederast protector Gayle Benson’s real estate business, as well as various prominent law firms and lawyers including local zionist Morris Bart (IYKYK). Her website does not feature any semblance of platform or how she plans to continue her tenure other than efficiency-related trends. She enjoys incumbency advantage and has a slew of endorsements from the local political establishment: Orleans Parish Democratic Party, Mitch Landrieu, Mayor Helena Moreno, State Reps. Aimee Freeman, Shaun Mena and Kyle Green, and City Council members JP Morrell, Eugene Green, Matthew Willard and Aimee McCarron. She has union endorsements from AFL-CIO and UTNO, as well as the Alliance for Good Governance and IWO. In terms of the criminal punishment system, she is endorsed by Sheriff Michelle Woodfork, District Attorney Jason Williams, and the police union PANO.

Challenger Judge Leon Roché (D) was a longtime public defender and defense attorney who ran for Section A unsuccessfully before successfully running for Section I judge in a special election against overpolicing advocate Melanie Talia. His campaign is mostly funded by a loan & contributions from his wife, former public defender and defense attorney Sarah Chervinsky and family. His smaller dollar donors include prominent local racial justice and criminal justice reform organizers Kenn Barnes, Will Snowden, Robert Jones, and Meghan Matt. Roche’s website includes “seek[ing] alternatives to incarceration for those struggling with mental illness [and] addiction”. He has a split endorsement from the New Orleans Coalition.

His time on the bench isn’t too far from Judge Buras in terms of efficiency and had fewer open felony cases than Judge Buras. Lawyers are significantly more willing to waive jury trials and have bench trials in his section, only second to Judge Nandi Campbell, a sign that he is willing to acquit defendants when there is very little evidence in a case. Judges can play a major role in reducing our place as the incarceration capital of the world. In a shorter tenure on the bench, Judge Roche’s number of defendants being found Not Guilty in judge trials was above average, reducing the number of people incarcerated in our jail that is currently over the legal limit in occupancy. Looking at the total cost of incarceration or total days in custody while people wait for trial, Judge Roché’s caseload accounts for less time people are in jail with more open cases to manage than Judge Buras.

Judge Roché’s tenure on the bench in Section I demonstrated a willingness to stand up against the intimidation and anti-democratic maneuvers from MAGA electeds like Jeff Landry and Liz Murril, resulting in drama. First, Governor Landry’s supporters in the state legislature voted to eliminate three courts including Section I. At the last minute, the final ruling was to eliminate Judge Rhonda Goode-Douglas’s seat in Section E. Next, Judge Roché presided over the indictment of Attorney General Liz Murill for threats against City officials regarding the removal of Calvin Duncan’s Clerk of Court seat and issued her arrest warrant. This included closing the court to the media, resulting in the arrest of an investigative producer and lawyer with WWL who refused to leave when Judge Roché argued that the grand jury members’ anonymity during a case involving political retribution were at risk with the two present. Lastly, Murill personally targeted Judge Roché and sought to remove him from over 50 cases.

Jefferson Parish

Councilmember – City of Harahan

Five councilmembers will be elected this year. Michael Ricks is currently on council, and Carrie Wheeler and Craig Johnston used to be. Johnston is also the son of former mayor and current councilmember Paul Johnston. All of these candidates are Republicans, and none of them did much to distinguish themselves when they were on the council, apart from criticizing Mayor Tim Baudier for his handling of finances. None of them have campaign contributions reported this cycle.

Then there are a few newcomers. Linda Domangue is an accountant who serves on the Planning & Zoning Board, and is endorsed by the Jefferson Parish Republican Executive Committee. She has also contributed to the campaign of Maurizio “Mo” Francescon, chair of the Planning & Zoning Board, who ran for council in 2022 and lost. He works in customer service for AT&T. Krisa Exsterstein owns a car detailing shop. Thomas “Tommy” Hughes is a software engineer who talks about “accountability,” which seems to call back to right-wing myths about waste in government.

Then there’s Lionel P. Hotard III, whose LinkedIn says he was “Contract Manager for HUD’s Management and Marketing contracts wherein HUD privatized the disposition of REO assets. During this period, he managed the disposition of over 150,000 single family REO assets.” He then left his job privatizing assets and joined who else but one of the companies those contracts went to: Cityside Management. He made sure that as much money as possible from foreclosures goes to private business. He’s focused on “increased revenue from growth” doing “whatever possible to make our police department a competitive employer so that only the finest will continue to be recruited and stay.” 

Constable – 2nd Justice Court 

Incumbent Kendall C. Bussey (D) spent a few years as a running back for the Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders before becoming a car dealer. In between managing New Orleans-area dealerships, Bussey was GM and VP of Nissan of Picayune, where his slogan (yes really) was “Follow the Buss to Nissan of Picayune!” 

Two candidates are challenging Bussey. One, Marshall Pierre Sr. (D), is the Chief of Police for Holy Cross University and owner of Pierre Basic Guns, a handgun and firearm training business. He doesn’t have much experience in public life, unlike Bussey. 

But perhaps most interesting is Luke LaBruzza (R). When listing his reason for running, he said: “over and over, I was approached by landlords and people in our community who told me the same thing: ‘We need someone who is available. We need someone who will answer the phone. We need someone who will help us.’” Finally, a candidate who puts landlords at the top of his list of priorities. He has also posted some truly wild AI slop campaign art; a personal favorite reads “A huge thank you to Craig Clark & Luke LaBruzza Jr. for getting the dumpster emptied at God’s House.” But behind this entertaining image is something darker: in 2015, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand fired LaBruzza for failing to report a sexual assault allegation against a relative of LaBruzza’s.

Constable – 4th Justice Court

The race for constable at the 4th Justice Court in Grand Isle is between the independent Julian Bradberry, Project Manager at Grand Isles Shipyard, and Walter H. “Beaver” Maples Sr. (R), a Grand Isle cop. Maples has neither a campaign website nor a Facebook page. Bradberry is part of a Grand Isle political family: the current Constable is Leon Bradberry, Sr., while the Justice of the Peace is Leon Bradberry, Jr.

24th Judicial District Court, ES 2, Div. F

New Orleans DSA recommends AGAINST Marko Marjanovic for Division F.

This race pits a bad option against a really, truly terrible option. Joseph R. “Joe” McMahon III (R), currently a magistrate judge in Kenner Mayor’s Court, continues the long tradition of prosecutors becoming judges, which is usually bad news for people who don’t want human beings locked in cages. McMahon was a prosecutor in the 90s before starting his own private practice, and then becoming a judge in 2023. Our friends in the legal community tell us that in his three years as a judge, he has developed a reputation for fairness. That said, the committee to elect McMahon also includes Steve Scalise. 

Marko Marjanovic (R) ticks every single anti-worker and anti-liberation box. He’s the executive counsel for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Before this, he was an assistant attorney general under Jeff Landry; before that, he defended Allstate against the claims of those they were supposed to be, well, insuring. And before that, he started his career as a prosecutor in the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s office. In between these gigs, Marjanovic was Director of Environmental Quality & Technology for capitalist lobbying group LABI, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. LABI “has long fought to rebalance the scales in our courts to make Louisiana a more attractive destination for business investment.” He also has a $5,000 donation from NORPAC, “the most active grassroots PAC promoting the critically important US-Israel relationship.” 

Judge – 1st Parish Court, Division A

Like a lot of races in Jefferson, there’s not much range in the race for 1st Parish Court Division A: it’s Republican vs. Republican, and both their websites are full of bland nothings (efficiency, fairness, experience…). In this case, it’s Salvador “Sal” Brocato III versus Michael Marsiglia. Both, of course, are lawyers. Brocato, however, also used to be with NOPD and then the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, before entering private practice in 1999.

Judge – 1st Parish Court, Division B

The Division B race is also Republican vs. Republican, but there’s a bit more to separate the two here. In a fairly low-budget race, Jessica Raines has a $6,000 donation from Shane Guidry, CEO of Harvey Gulf, an offshore drilling equipment provider. Guidry, who donated a cool half a million to Trump’s inauguration, is “possibly the largest GOP donor in Louisiana,” in addition to being Special Assistant – and fishing buddy – to Jeff Landry. In Guidry’s own words: “Look, I’m best friends with the governor. We talk ten times a day, seven days a week. Look at Elon Musk, right? There’s a reason why he’s doing something free for Trump — because he knows he can help him. And Trump wants that. There’s a reason why I do what I do free for Jeff because he knows I have nothing to gain.” Raines has also received donations from NORPAC, the self-described “most active grassroots political action committee supporting the critically important U.S.-Israel relationship.” 

Raines’s opponent, John F. Lee, hasn’t raised much money, but he is endorsed by Alliance for Good Government, an organization that usually endorses Democrats.

Justice of the Peace – 1st Justice Court 

We’ve reported seeing candidates increasingly using AI slop. This is bad and we forbid it in our chapter. But what’s almost worse are the websites where you can’t tell if it’s AI or just the most vague, bland, vanilla (Claude: come up with a synonym for vague) language of all time. One such case is Tyrus Norcise (D), who’s running for Justice of the Peace (a.k.a. “Marrying Judge”) in the 1st Justice Court. Norcise believes that “Justice Court should be accessible, transparent, and grounded in service.” What does that mean? Luckily, he clarifies: “every responsibility deserves fairness, professionalism, and dignity.” Huh? While you can’t argue with any of this, it’s also completely unclear what it actually means. What we do know is that he’s a current Orleans Parish prosecutor, an office not known for its fairness or transparency. Or dignity.

His opponent, Vernon J. Wilty III (D), has been in office since 1984 and has presided over more than 28,000 weddings. He hasn’t distinguished himself apart from a minor scandal over the report that he made $225,000 in filing fees in 2023 alone. He’s endorsed by the Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee.

St. Tammany Parish 

Mayor – Town of Abita Springs

New Orleans DSA recommends Sandra Slifer for Mayor.

Abita Springs is a small town of 2,631. Abita Springs has its own local government but not its own police department, farming that responsibility out to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and its lone Town Marshall. The sitting mayor, Daniel Curtis, is opting not to run in the wake of a 2024 embezzlement scandal involving two Abita employees using Town government credit cards on things like Doordash orders from TotalWine, home appliances, and Orange Beach condominiums.

The outrage was swift. Abita residents have long complained about their water management issues for which funds are always lacking. Hearing news of town employees spending lavishly has galvanized the locals and appears to be producing a reshuffling of the Abita government. Stephen Saussy (R), an Abita alderman at the time of the scandal, became a fixture at multiple Town Council hearings in the fallout of the embezzlement scandal and seems to have made himself a bit of a local celebrity as a result. His campaign is relatively light on other issues he considers pressing for Abita Springs.

The other candidate, Sandra Slifer (No Party), has a considerable amount of experience as a political and executive operative on the Northshore. She held high-level positions in the League of Women Voters of St. Tammany and Louisiana, and sits on the St. Tammany Fire District 8 Board and Keep Abita Beautiful Board. Her campaign literature draws immense focus onto infrastructure improvements to sidewalks, parks, and public gardens throughout Abita, as well as reviewing and revising the Town’s zoning laws. She was at a meeting of the Abita alderman where her opponent Stephen Saussy refused to enter executive session to review legal strategy, saying “Choosing to remain uninformed in the name of transparency is a canard,” Slifer wrote. “We elected these five people to represent us, and because of the actions of two (of them) our town is fighting with one hand behind our back.”

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff 

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is the Northshore’s largest law enforcement agency. Sheriff Randy Smith, a former Slidell Police Chief, took office in 2016 after his predecessor, Jack Strain, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison following convictions for sex crimes against juveniles; Strain had held the office for 20 years. Smith initially planned to run for re-election but ended his campaign after pleading guilty to second-degree battery and disturbing the peace for assaulting podcaster Bobby Couvillion at a Madisonville restaurant. He was sentenced to one year of probation and has not resigned. 

Robert Hodges, one of three registered Republicans in this race and former Louisiana State Police Superintendent, is also known as the implementor of “Troop NOLA,” one of a series of initiatives by Governor Landry to increase the state’s power over New Orleans. This is the troop that has several high speed chases resulting in injuries and damages, as well as leading unhoused encampment sweeps leading up to the Taylor Swift concert and Superbowl. 

Scott Illing (R) is New Orleans-born and has a very long and storied history with many law enforcement agencies local, state, and federal. He also ran for this office in 2016, losing to Randy Smith. His platform hails the need for “local-federal partnerships” but does not mention ICE specifically, although his connections to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent law enforcement organ, are mentioned many times throughout his campaign site.  

Daniel Seuzeneau is yet another Republican with a long professional background in law enforcement, ending his 20 year career at the Slidell Police Department to run for Sheriff. He is the only candidate in the field to mention the condition of Saint Tammany Parish Jail. Over 50% of inmates in STPJ are legally innocent of a crime and are held there simply because they are not wealthy enough to afford bail. The Parish has been the defendant in class action lawsuits alleging deprivation of hygiene facilities, forcing inmates to sleep on concrete floors, and putting 10-20 people in small, confined cells.

David Maki (No Party), a former STPSO Lieutenant with what he purports is no partisan affiliation, refers to himself as a “constitutional conservative.” He joins Scott Illing as the only other candidate in this race who has never worked in the Slidell Police Department. His resume includes being a corrections officer at adult and juvenile jails.

District Judge – 22nd Judicial District Court, Division E 

The 22nd Judicial District Court is one of 43 judicial districts in the state of Louisiana and has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases in St. Tammany and Washington Parishes. Cases are randomly assigned to judges of Division A through J. The bench for Division E is currently occupied by Judge Marin E. Coady, a Retired-Pro Tempore District Judge. Two candidates are vying for the position. 

Michele Moore Echols (R) is a tax attorney at Bondurant Law. The highest-dollar contributions to her campaign have been made by family, law firms, real estate developers and contractors (her family owns Mike’s Hardware & Building Supply Inc. in Slidell). 

Cameron Mary (R) is a criminal defense attorney, civil litigator, and former prosecutor. “Experience Matters” is his campaign’s slogan, and he has highlighted his experience of over 29 years as a practicing attorney. He has touted his experience sending two men to death row and prosecuting people for possession of marijuna. He has accepted donations from law firms and physicians in the area.

District Judge – 22nd Judicial District Court, Division H

The bench for Division H is currently occupied by Judge Alan A. Zaunbrecher. Two Republican candidates are vying for the position. 

Whitney Germany is an Assistant Public Defender with experience as deputy court administrator, assistant district attorney, and civil and litigation attorney. Donations to her campaign are from local small businesses. 

Luke Lancaster is an Assistant District Attorney in the 22nd Judicial District. His father Mack Lancaster was a District Attorney for Louisiana 5th Judicial District, and he continued the legacy of incarcerating people by serving with the Jefferson Parish DA before becoming an Assistant Attorney General. His campaign has accepted several contributions from local law firms and area businesses (Mike’s Hardware, multiple mobile home park owners), as well as thousands of dollars from the petrochemical industry including Magnolia Oil Field and Geaux Energy Services, and law firms like Leon Lowe & Sons that represent aggregate mining companies and has had issues with environmental concerns from residents.

Endorsements vs. Recommendations

An endorsement represents a direct material investment from our membership for a candidate, including volunteers and securing the support of National DSA when applicable. Our endorsement requires the candidate to be a member of our chapter. The process is outlined on our website. Our chapter has endorsed candidates under this process for US Congress, School Board, State House, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, City Council, and Democratic State Central Committee. 

National DSA endorsements are initiated by the chapter and require a local endorsement, a review from the DSA National Electoral Commission, and approval by the National Political Committee, DSA’s national leadership body. Devin Davis and Margee Green have received national endorsements in the past. 

In contrast, a recommendation can be initiated by any member by presenting a recommendation resolution at one of our monthly general meetings. These recommendations require the consent of a majority of members in a quorate meeting with at least 10% of membership in good standing. Recommendations will be made explicit in voter guides, but do not devote member time and resources to a given campaign as a chapter priority like an endorsement does. A lack of recommendation in a given race should not be interpreted as condemnation or praise of any particular candidate(s).

This guide is written and researched by members working with the New Orleans DSA’s Voter Guide Working Group and is approved by elected chapter leadership. We hope you’ve enjoyed your time with us. Join our team and help us build a better future.