Miguez weighs which district to run in after map redrawn
Republican state senator Blake Miguez is weighing a run for Congress in either Louisiana’s 5th or 6th district, neither of which he currently lives in, after the state redrew its congressional map following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Callais v Louisiana. Miguez had secured Trump’s endorsement to run in the former 5th district, but that district no longer exists under the new boundaries.
A spokesperson for Miguez said Wednesday that the candidate “was honored to have President Trump’s endorsement for [an] old … congressional district that no longer exists” after Callais, “and hopes to earn it again after he announces a campaign under the new district lines.”
The White House, in a statement, said Trump has not formally rescinded his endorsement. “At this point, he has not made any changes nor does he have an intent to,” a White House spokesperson said. “If new information changes things, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.”
A political action committee supporting another candidate, Rick Edmonds, criticized the Miguez campaign’s framing. “Nobody believes that,” said Lionel Rainey, a spokesperson for the PAC, calling it “silly” to blame redistricting for uncertainty over Trump’s endorsement.
Miguez’s campaign website had become password protected and otherwise blank, the Guardian reported.
The Guardian and The Atlantic reported in March 2026 that a woman alleged Miguez raped her in late August 2007 in his hometown of Erath, Louisiana. A police report obtained by both outlets quoted the woman as saying the assault occurred at the end of a night of drinking and that she did not want to press charges because she did not want to get Miguez into trouble. Miguez has denied the accusation, calling it false.
The Miguez campaign responded to the reports by linking to an article from “a Louisiana news outlet” that quoted the accuser’s family members questioning her credibility, citing mental health and substance abuse issues. The campaign also circulated an email attributed to the accuser’s father that said, “Everything my daughter has reported about you were lies and she is a liar and has a drug problem.” The Guardian said it contacted the woman to offer her an opportunity to address her family’s statements; she did not reply.
The Atlantic reported that the March disclosure “reportedly raised concerns within the White House that Miguez ‘either wasn’t fully vetted or wasn’t forthcoming about discoverable documents from his past’ before securing Trump’s backing,” citing an unnamed source.
Miguez, a champion sharpshooter and former reality-show contestant, has served in the Louisiana legislature since 2015, most recently as a state senator. He signed up to contest the seat vacated by Rep. Julia Letlow, who successfully ran for the U.S. Senate with Trump’s backing after defeating incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy in the May primary.
Under the new map, Erath is in Louisiana’s 3rd district, represented by Republican Clay Higgins. The new 6th district includes Baton Rouge, and its incumbent, Democrat Cleo Fields, announced Thursday he would not seek re-election under the altered boundaries. The Shreveport Times reported in June that Miguez opponents said he had asked Trump to allow him to carry the 5th district endorsement to the 6th.
U.S. House candidates are not required to run in their home districts; they only need to live in the same state. Miguez’s campaign declined to say which district he may target when a three-day qualifying period opens on August 5.