BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Another state lawmaker is vying to be Louisiana's secretary of state, an open seat drawing a growing list of candidates.
Republican Rep. Rick Edmonds, a Baton Rouge pastor, announced his campaign Thursday to be Louisiana's chief elections official. In his announcement, Edmonds focused on his conservative Christian background and said he would fight any efforts to "weaken secure voting."
He joins two other GOP contenders, former Sen. A.G. Crowe of Slidell and Rep. Julie Stokes of Kenner, in seeking the position. Also in the race is Democrat Renee Fontenot Free, director of the attorney general's public protection division and a former top official in the secretary of state's office.
A special election is being held Nov. 6 because Republican Tom Schedler resigned after an employee accused him of sexual harassment.
