Mary Anne Mushatt ran for the Louisiana State Senate last year as an environmental candidate and as a Democrat in a conservative district. She is an alumna of our Candidate Academy, and we are proud of her courage to run for a seat that she knew would be a challenge for a progressive candidate.

There has been no Democratic challenger for the seat for a long time, but she wanted to run as a messenger candidate who could bring other issues to the table. Messenger candidates run in races knowing they are unlikely to win due to historical voting patterns in the district, but want to make sure issues are being discussed as part of the campaign that would not be if the incumbent runs unopposed or only conservatives run.

In addition to her desire to take more action on climate change in Louisiana, Mary Anne is also concerned about the safety of women and babies in her state after the recent abortion ban. As in many other states where abortion is now illegal, in Louisiana doctors don’t have clarity about their ability to support women through miscarriages and other reproductive issues. The state legislature has refused to provide guidance and Mary Anne ran in part to help save the lives of Louisiana women who are suffering under the new law.

As a New Orleanian, she is also aware of how vulnerable her city is to sea level rise and the rising number of disasters that impact her and others in New Orleans. She wants to move the legislature toward a greater focus on clean energy and away from the state’s heavy reliance on the fossil fuel industry as the primary driver of the economy and job creation.

During her campaign she liked engaging with voters, many of whom said that she was the first candidate ever to call them or to knock on their door. “People were surprised to have someone visit or call them, and I was glad to be able to offer a different perspective,” said Mary Anne.

She also liked being able to challenge the dominant narrative of her conservative opponent. “I went on a conservative radio program because I wanted to share that over 70% of Louisianans support making exceptions to the abortion ban in the case of rape or incest. I also wanted to share that I had tried to reach out to the incumbent for over two years, and that he had never responded, and I was able to do that on the show,” she said.

Mary Anne isn’t sure whether she will run again, but if she does, she is thinking about how to improve the conditions for future progressive candidates. The Democratic Party in Louisiana didn’t assist with her campaign, and she recently ran for a seat in the state party in order to provide stronger support for future candidates. “Now Republicans have a supermajority in the legislature and the Governorship; we need a stronger party to do something about that,” said Mary Anne.

Fundraising was another challenging part of the campaign, and what she enjoyed the least. Funds raised for state legislative races are typically used to hire campaign staff and to pay for mail to voters, and calling voters to request donations is a big part of campaigning.

“It was hard to dial for dollars and make the asks. I didn’t really understand what the money was going to be used for, which made it hard to feel motivated to do my calls. If I had started earlier, I would have had more time to understand what $500 could do for the campaign,” she explained.

In hindsight, she better understands how important it is to start early. She would have liked to have more time to get to know local Democratic Party leaders, to make other connections, and to learn how to talk about issues like crime. She is from New Orleans, but the district includes more rural and suburban areas, where perspectives are much different. If she had started earlier, she would have had more time to learn how each part of her district experiences issues like crime differently, and what is most important to them about how such issues are addressed.

Mary Anne’s advice for future candidates is to start early, build relationships with key leaders who make endorsement decisions, and learn how to lean on those relationships to advance their campaigns. “Make as many connections as possible,” she emphasized.

Our country urgently needs more leaders who share our vision of a world with a healthy environment and healthy communities, protected by a just and equitable democracy. To empower more people in our movement to become leaders, LCV and our state affiliates offer robust leadership development opportunities. Read more about LCV’s Candidate Academy and other programs.