La.: Davante Lewis ousts incumbent from PSC, becomes first openly LGBTQ state elected official
Progressive policy advocate Davante Lewis defeated three-term Public Service Commissioner Lambert Boissiere III on Saturday, handing the incumbent and utilities that backed him a stunning loss with the help of big money from environmental groups who want to shake up the commission.
ewis, 30, who lives in Baton Rouge and works for the left-leaning Louisiana Budget Project, ran on a platform of making bold changes to how Louisiana regulates utilities. He called for a quicker transition to renewables, an effort to harden the electric grid in the face of increasingly severe hurricanes and a crackdown on excessive fees by Entergy and other utilities.
He becomes the first openly LGBTQ person elected to state office in Louisiana, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
With all early votes counted, plus election day votes from 738 of 748 precincts, Lewis had amassed 59% of the vote, after getting just 18% in the primary last month. He advanced to the runoff after edging out Boissiere’s three other challengers, two of whom later endorsed Lewis.
Both Lewis and Boissiere are Democrats.
https://www.nola.com/news/politics/davante-lewis-easily-ousts-lambert-boissiere-iii-in-psc-race/article_cac2d384-78da-11ed-904e-dfc3b490bf63.html
