The following is an opinion article, and opinion articles do not reflect the views of The Tulane Hullabaloo.

Louisiana’s Senate runoff election between incumbent Senator Mary Landrieu and U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy is quickly approaching. Despite the wave of Republican wins in the midterm elections, what’s best for Louisiana should decide the Senate seat. Landrieu, through her bipartisanship and seniority, is the only candidate who can continue to provide for Louisiana.

Landrieu was first elected to the Senate 18 years ago, and has been a consistent voice for Louisiana. She is a key political actor who brought the necessary relief funding to the state after Hurricane Katrina, the levee failures, the BP oil spill and Hurricane Isaac.

At the same time, she has recognized the importance of the oil and gas industry to Louisiana’s economy. She requested that the Obama administration lift a moratorium on off-shore drilling post-BP, saved a Lake Charles refinery – and hundreds of jobs – from a sanctions bill, led the Senate in protecting homeowners from higher flood insurance premiums, brought the gavel of the Chairmanship of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to the people of Louisiana, and now is the highest-ranking Democrat on that committee.

Maybe most importantly to students, Landrieu has been at the forefront of reforming student loan procedures. She has fought to allow the refinancing of student loans at a lower interest rate and protected the Pell Grant program for lower-income students.

Landrieu finds herself in a close re-election fight with Cassidy, a Republican. Cassidy has attempted to make the race a referendum on President Barack Obama. This race, however, is about what is best for Louisiana, and should not be about a national ideological debate. Cassidy is not what is best for Louisiana.

Following Hurricane Isaac in 2012, which devastated some areas more than during Hurricane Katrina, Landrieu inserted a provision in a Hurricane Sandy relief bill that increased federal assistance grants to the areas hardest hit by Isaac. Cassidy voted against it. Even Republican Sen. David Vitter supported the bill, but Cassidy’s drive comes from a national ideology that has continuously hurt Louisiana. 

In 2013, an extension of the Violence Against Women Act was introduced that included providing services to the victims of domestic and dating violence, adding protection no matter their sexual orientation or gender and authorizing funds for programs aimed at tackling sexual assault on college campuses. Cassidy voted against VAWA.

In his time on Capitol Hill, Cassidy has taken his party’s ideological line on all major issues no matter their impact on his state and district. He has expressed a desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act, opposed Medicaid expansion that would allow 240,000 Louisianans access to health insurance and refused to support the renewal of the Export-Import Bank despite its importance to Louisiana’s economy.

Some of us are lifelong Louisianans, some of us will become lifelong Louisianans and some of us will only be Louisianans for four years. While we’re living in Louisiana, we must choose to vote for what is best for our state. For these reasons, I’m with Mary Landrieu on Saturday.  

Brendan Lyman is a senior in the Newcomb-Tulane College. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].