La. 5th Congressional District Debate (2013)
Louisiana: The State We're In
Details
Collection:LPB
Genre: Debate
Place Covered: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority
Date Issued: 2013-11-08
Duration: 00:26:52
Subjects: Television debates | Politics | Elections, 2013 | United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana, 2013 | Riser, Neil | McAllister, Vance
Contributors:
- Whinham, Charlie Host
- Sanford, Shauna Host
- Stockley, Joshua Panelist
- Grace, Stephanie Panelist
- Riser, Neil Speaker
- McAllister, Vance Speaker
Description
This special episode of the series “Louisiana: The State We’re In” from November 8, 2013, features Charlie Whinham moderating a live debate between the two run-off candidates for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District: State Senator Neil Riser (R) and businessman Vance McAllister (R). For the first round, a panel of journalists asks the candidates questions. The panelists are: Shauna Sanford, co-host of “Louisiana: The State We’re In”; Dr. Joshua Stockley, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe; and Stephanie Grace, a columnist with The Advocate newspaper. The candidates answer questions on the following topics: alternatives to the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare); requiring insurance companies to cover individuals with preexisting conditions; increasing spending on infrastructure; working across party lines; whether they are a political outsider or insider; why the Democratic voters in their district should support them; the food stamp program; the NSA surveillance program; and funding for Grambling State University. For the second round, the candidates ask each other a question. The debate ends with each candidate’s closing statement.