BREAKING: The "Cajun John Wayne," Republican Clay Higgins, Wins Louisiana Congressional Seat

By Joe Cunningham | 9:53 PM on December 10, 2016

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

In this June 2, 2016, photo, Clay Higgins, a former Captain for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's office, and candidate for Congress, poses for a photograph in Lafayette, La. His wristband is printed with the word "redemption." The man dubbed the “Cajun John Wayne” has set his sights on a congressional seat. Higgins, a Republican, is one of seven candidates vying for the seat in Louisiana’s southwestern district, which is being vacated by Republican Rep. Charles Boustany, who is running for Senate. (AP Photo/Kevin McGill)

If you’ve ever seen the popular videos of former St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Department Captain Clay Higgins (referred to as the Cajun John Wayne), then you have seen a future Congressman.

Higgins was declared the winner in the Louisiana CD-3 runoff, which was held between him and fellow Republican Scott Angelle.

We are calling #LA03 for Clay Higgins (R)

— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) December 11, 2016

Angelle was a candidate for governor last year, where he ran against outgoing Senator David Vitter, John Bel Edwards (Democrat and eventual winner) and Jay Dardenne (who endorsed Edwards after the primary and got a sweet, six-figure gig in Edwards’ administration). Angelle was seen by some as the last of the “Jindal Machine” in the state of Louisiana, and it is unclear where his political career will take him next after losing two big elections in a row.

Joe Cunningham is a Senior Editor at RedState, as well as a former teacher and coach. He is the host of the Joe Cunningham Show, which airs from 3-4 p.m. (CT) on NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL in Lafayette, Louisiana.