House hopeful Clay Higgins wants everyone to know that if elected this fall, he’ll do his duty and serve the 3rd District of Louisiana.  

But he doesn’t have to like it.  

“I’m not running for office. I’m descending — descending into the belly of the beast, the leviathan of biblical proportions that has become our federal government,” he told supporters at his campaign kickoff.  

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Roll Call’s 2016 Election Guide: House

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The one-time captain in the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office rose to fame in the Pelican State by putting criminals on notice in a series of provocative “Crime Stoppers” videos.

“You will be hunted. You will be trapped. And if you raise your weapon to a man like me, we’ll return fire with superior fire,” Higgins, dressed in tactical gear, his right hand clutching a semiautomatic rifle, warns members of a local gang.  

The antagonistic stance he took after a break-in at a mom-and-pop grocery piqued the interest of “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, who jokingly wondered if Higgins might consider a higher calling.

“I have a question: Can that guy run for president?” Fallon said after cueing up a clip of Higgins dressing-down a suspected perpetrator.  

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Poll: Boustany, Fleming Trail in Louisiana Senate Race

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Higgins joins the already crowded field of would-be lawmakers interested in claiming the seat currently held by Rep. Charles Boustany Jr.  

Boustany and fellow Louisiana Republican John Fleming are both vying to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Sen. David Vitter.

Contact Rojas at 


warrenrojas@rollcall.com 

and follow him on Twitter 


@WARojas

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