If we’ve learned anything from the occasional Lafayette Power Polls focusing on U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, it’s that voters are not in love with him.
But it also reveals this: Power Poll voters are a small slice of the electorate in the state's 3rd Congressional District.
Higgins is up for reelection next month in a vote that won't show up on your social media feed, but the four-term congressman still found a way to make headlines for all the wrong reasons when he made racist claims on X (formerly Twitter) regarding Haitians. He warned they should leave Springfield, Ohio, by Jan. 20.
Some elected officials, it seems, can’t go quietly.
Power Poll voters were adamant when asked about Higgins latest incident: Nearly half favored a censure from the U.S. House for his post — which was quickly deleted — that referenced the false claim of Haitians eating the pets of American citizens.
It was believed to be in response to a court filing by the leader of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit group, in response to claims from Trump and vice presidential candidate JD Vance.
“These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters,” he wrote. “But damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th.”
It’s unknown if he’ll face censure, a nonbinding action that is equivalent to a public shaming. Higgins said earlier this month he isn’t worried about a possible censure vote.
The rest of Power Poll voters also did not appear worried about it: 17% said they were ready to move on, 16% were unsure or had no opinion and another 16% said the post didn’t meet the threshold for censure. Another 4% indicated they agreed with the post.
Now to slide over to Higgins’ reelection bid. Nearly 70% predicted he will get at least 60% of the vote in the redesigned district next month, including 17% who think he’ll get over 70%.
Only 6% predicted that he will require a runoff against either of the three relatively unknown candidates on the ballot.
Another loud politician: U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, much like Higgins, keeps finding his way into the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last month during a hearing he picked a fight with Arab American civil rights leader Maya Berry and ended it by requesting she “hide her head in a bag.”
It started as a hearing regarding hate crimes against Arab Americans but took an awful turn once Kennedy got cranked up: “You support Hamas, do you not?”
Asked if Kennedy should face censure from the Senate, 36% said yes while another 18% favored something but said his comments did not meet the threshold for censure. Yet 23% indicated they were not sure, 17% said they were ready to move on and 5% indicated they agreed with Kennedy’s comments.
Presidential predictions, one last time: Power Poll voters haven’t wavered in their thoughts on the presidential race — Harris will win, they said again — but one side is getting uneasy.
Predictions went 40%-32% Harris over Trump after 43%-24% last month and 45%-26% in August. Those who can’t decide on a winner made up 28% of voters, down from 33% a month ago, meaning that some of those who were undecided last month might now be predicting a Trump win.
As to how they will vote, it went 52%-34% Harris over Trump after 46%-34% Harris over Trump last month.
The poll: Conducted online Tuesday through Thursday, The Lafayette Power Poll survey is not a scientific inquiry and is distinctly nonpartisan. But because it asks questions of leaders from various sectors throughout Acadiana, it does afford insight into the thoughts and opinions of the community.
Of 583 Power Poll members surveyed, 220 voted for a participation rate of 37.74%.