LAFAYETTE PARISH — With early voting for the special primary election just hours away, candidates for the Senate District 23 seat are making their final appeals to voters.
The two candidates vying for the position are City Councilman Jesse Regan and State Representative Brach Myers.
Both men—husbands, fathers, and elected officials—say they have the solutions to improve the lives of their constituents.
Regan and Myers became the only two qualified candidates in the race after the sole Democratic candidate was disqualified.
"I don’t have any fluff out there. What I talk about are real issues, factual," Myers said.
"I’m a small business owner, I’m raising my family here, and I want to create opportunities so our children don’t have to go elsewhere to build their futures," Regan said.
When asked about the issues they plan to tackle in office, both candidates pointed to insurance reform as a top priority.
"The number one issue I hear from businesses and families is insurance. Premiums have really gotten out of hand," Myers said. "My goal is to go to the state capital and focus on insurance reform because it’s wreaking havoc on our businesses and families. I also want to bolster our private sector."
Regan echoed similar concerns about insurance, calling it a major problem for families in the state.
"Families are hurting. Insurance is hurting our families. It’s one of the biggest deterrents to our state right now. We have unique challenges, but we need to work hard to fix those issues," Regan said. "That’s why I’m one of the legislators currently calling for a special session to address these problems."
Nearly 90,000 voters are registered to vote in District 23, which includes Lafayette Parish, Broussard, Scott, and Youngsville—a small race with a significant impact.
"We need jobs. The one thing that’s going to keep our kids here is good, high-paying jobs that will allow them to raise their families here and stay in Lafayette Parish," Myers said.
Regan added, "Bolstering the private sector means reducing our state income tax to zero. We need to keep working toward that goal so we can continue to compete with neighboring southern states."
Early voting for the seat begins Saturday, and both Regan and Myers are hoping to connect with voters on the issues that matter most.
To see the full interview with both candidates, click on KATC's YouTube page, here.
