Explosive political ad mocks, attacks Rep. Clay Higgins as election nears

Republican Congressional Candidate Holden Hoggatt, of Lafayette, is taking aim at controversial Congressman Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, in an explosive ad that mocks and attacks the three-term congressman, calling him a fraud and riffing on the former St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Deputy's popular Crime Stoppers videos.

"In 2016, a fraud was elected to Congress. The perpetrator, Clay Higgins, remains at large, and is wanted for putting a gun to his wife's head, threatening her if she divorced him and failing to pay child support for 17 years. He was last seen impersonating a congressman," a fake sheriff's deputy says in front of a polling location marked with crime scene tape, referencing a 1991 accusation by one of Higgins' ex-wives in her request for a protective order.

The ad goes on to attack Higgins' record as a congressman, accusing him of "abandoning hurricane victims" in the wake of major storms that hit Southwest Louisiana in 2020. Higgins' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning.

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Hoggatt, one of seven challengers seeking to unseat Higgins in the Nov. 8 election, is an attorney and prosecutor for the 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette. His campaign is relying on consultant Top Drawer Strategies, which helped Gov. John Bel Edwards win election to the state's highest office in 2015.

The ad comes six weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 election, which could go to a runoff on Dec. 10 if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. It can be seen online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iedDMXZZcDM.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Political ad mocks Clay Higgins Crime Stopper videos, attacks his past