(The Center Square) – John Fleming bet that rural anger over carbon capture and sequestration could help carry him through Louisiana’s Senate race.
It wasn’t enough. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won the Republican runoff Saturday, defeating Fleming and advancing to the November general election against Democrat Jamie Davis, a row-crop farmer from Tensas Parish.
Fleming made his opposition to the technology central to his campaign, promising to seek a repeal of 45Q tax credits that help subsidize carbon capture projects and arguing the federal government should not pay companies to inject carbon dioxide underground.
The result suggests carbon capture gave Fleming a sharp issue in rural Louisiana, but not a broad enough coalition to overcome Letlow’s advantages: Donald Trump’s endorsement, support from major Louisiana Republicans and a campaign message more closely tied to the former president’s agenda.
In all, Fleming won 14 parishes mostly in western and central parts of the state. But that support was not nearly enough.
His entire margin from all 14 parishes he won was only 4,718 votes. Letlow erased that more than twice over in St. Tammany alone, where she beat him by 9,398 votes. She also won Jefferson by 6,984, Ouachita by 3,364, Lafourche by 2,792, Tangipahoa by 2,593 and Terrebonne by 2,169.
Following Fleming’s concession, the CO2 Alliance, which is a coalition of several Louisiana parish officials dedicated to opposing carbon capture, posted on Facebook a hearty thank you to Fleming.
“While this race didn’t end the way we had hoped, your willingness to stand up, speak out, and serve inspired thousands across our state,” the CO2 alliance wrote of Fleming.
Fleming was the only candidate with his position on carbon capture available on his campaign site.
Fleming also had the support of the People of Louisiana Against Carbon Capture and Sequestration, another Facebook group with over 19,000 members.
There does remain a candidate who is on the record as being opposed to carbon capture: the Democratic party’s Jamie Davis.
“I stand with Louisianians in the fight against carbon capture,” Davis posted on Facebook. “We cannot allow outside corporate monopolies to force toxic waste under our homes, lakes, and aquifers.”
Letlow has generally avoided the issue. She has only stated that CCS projects should not move forward unless they meet safety, transparency and local-support tests.