The mud is being slung with big handfuls ahead of tomorrow’s election to fill the seat of former representative, now state senator, Royce Duplessis.
The fight for House District 93 has come down to two candidates with varied backgrounds (to put it lightly) and a lot of infighting.
Sibil Fox Davidson, criminal justice reform advocate and former felon is facing off against restauranteur, and former Marine, Alonzo Knox.
Despite her previous pitfalls, Davidson has the endorsement of most of the New Orleans City Council, Congressman Troy Carter and even Royce Duplessis.
Meanwhile, Voters Organized to Educate (VOTE) is supporting Knox.
Knox has taken issue with Richardson’s past and present and spoken frequently about it. He questions the non-profit Rich Family Ministries, which is run by Davidson and her husband, also a former felon.
Opponents to Davidson have raised the matter of an $82,000 judgment against her from a car-loan company and her conviction for theft from Barksdale Air Force Base 30-years ago.
Meanwhile, Davidson has slapped back against Knox’s VOTE backers. She accused both VOTE founder Norris Henderson and deputy director Bruce Reilly of being convicted murderers.
“VOTE is run by two convicted murderers, so the hypocrisy of them attacking a formerly incarcerated woman who has put her family’s mistakes and challenges on Front Street, discussing them on a documentary and two books - is despicable,” her campaign manager, Victoria Short Coulon, in a statement to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.
Henderson denies that he was guilty and Reilly has apologized to the victim’s family.
Despite the pitfalls of the VOTE backers Henderson and Reilly, the organization growing in power and influence among political circles. VOTE backed Davante Lewis in his victory over Lambert Boissiere for Public Service Commissioner and is backing Leon Roche in his race against Simone Levine and Diedre Pierce Kelly for a seat on the Criminal District Court.