The Republican Supermajority’s Controlled Retreat from Education
Guest post by J. Christopher Alexander
For five years, I have watched from the front lines as my wife Katie, Paige Lowry of Moms For Liberty, Christy Haik of Louisiana Republican Assembly, and a small circle of their closest allies fought for the soul of Louisiana’s children. I saw them sit in cold committee rooms, ignored and condescended to. I saw them move from one crushing defeat to another, and I saw the fire in their eyes when they celebrated even the smallest of victories. I saw it all- the exhaustion, the sacrifice, and the unwavering resolve. They never quit. Not for one second.
Through their courage, they found true warriors in leadership. They found a loyal ally in State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley, who helped secure a framework to ensure our children would be taught American Exceptionalism rather than radical, Leftist indoctrination. They found tireless defenders in State Representatives Kathy Edmonston and Beryl Amedee, women of steel who refused to compromise our children’s future for thirty pieces of silver. Together, inch by hard-fought inch, they pushed back against the pedagogical poison of CRT and DEI in our schools and gave parents a seat at the table.
Just when the dawn was breaking over the horizon, they learned the harsh reality that in Baton Rouge, a legislative Republican supermajority is often the functional equivalent of a poorly concealed retreat.
In 2025, the Louisiana House overwhelmingly passed Emily Chenevert’s HB 685, a sweeping measure to dismantle the DEI bureaucracy. Yet, under the direction of Senate President Cameron Henry—and with the quiet acquiescence of Governor Jeff Landry—that bill was allowed to wither and die on the Senate floor. They let the clock run out on our children while busily passing “Republican” bills to crush the speech of Louisiana citizens (SB 80, Miller) and send radical Democrat Leftist Cleo Fields to Congress through a grotesque racial gerrymander (SB 8, Womack), both of which were dutifully signed into law by Landry.
Now, Senator Alan Seabaugh has stepped forward to lead Act Two with SB 49. This bill is a targeted strike against eight (8) BESE seats up for election in 2027. These seats represent the final line of defense for our children’s hearts and minds. If he is successful in stripping the closed primary protection now, Seabaugh will ensure that in 2027 the radical left will not have to beat us in a general election—they will just infiltrate the jungle primary and pick the weakest candidates for us. This hackneyed routine has, for years, filled our legislature with “Republicans” who wear constitutional conservatism like a corsage during their campaigns and throw it in the nearest trashcan on arrival at the Capitol.
The excuses offered for SB 49 are a masterclass in subterfuge. First, they cite a $5.4 million election cost—a crisis of their own creation. When the Legislature passed the closed primary reform (HB 17, Emerson) in 2024, they purposefully exempted their own seats and many other statewide offices. Had they done their jobs then and included the entire state, the “extra cost” for BESE today would not exist.
Second, they offer a fairy tale: they promise to “come back later” and expand the system. How they can make such a statement with a straight face is stunning. While Seabaugh and Committee Vice- Chair Blake Miguez offer the empty hope of future expansion, Senate President Cameron Henry is already standing at the exit door. Just days ago at the Baton Rouge Press Club, Henry called the closed primary system “breathtakingly confusing” and predicted the Legislature would move to undo the entire process after 2026.
Yesterday, this charade reached a fever pitch. SB 49 was so radioactive after my testimony against it that not one Republican on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee would even make a motion to move the bill. Chairman Caleb Kleinpeter was forced to make the motion himself while the others sat in timid silence. They wanted the death shot, but were careful to leave no fingerprints on the weapon.
We record the names of the “Phantom Five” here:
- Senator Blake Miguez
- Senator Mike Fesi
- Senator Greg Miller
- Senator Mike Reese
- Senator Glen Womack
I sat four feet from these legislators as they responded with the cold silence of men who prefer the title of “Senator” to a hard and worthy fight.
They are all betting that we are now too tired for this battle. They are wrong. We are going to win. Whatever it takes. I guarantee it. Because we are not fighting for our own sakes, but for the sake of generations yet to come—for children who deserve a country that still understands its own greatness. We fight so they may stand guard, long after we are gone, over the blood-stained parchment of freedom that great men gave the last full measure of devotion to leave us.
The 2027 BESE seats are the high hill that honorable citizens across this great state will fight on, and die on. And we- the now awakened majority- will loudly proclaim the names of those legislators who stand with us, and also those who stand against us. If there was ever a time to heed Joshua’s advice and “choose this day whom you will serve,” that time is now.
All eyes on the Senate Floor.
About the Author: J. Christopher Alexander is the founder of the Louisiana Citizen Advocacy Group (LACAG), a leading legislative watchdog for parental rights and education reform in Louisiana and can be reached through his organization at www.lacag.org.
