U.S. House · Louisiana's 5th District

North and central Louisiana, including the Delta and Avoyelles, Rapides and Ouachita parishes.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 33 claims re-checked against their sources · 1 corrected · 0 removed

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

  • Austin Magee: removed quotation marks around 'especially the first and second amendments' in the guns-position summary — the source's actual survey text reads 'first and and second amendments' (a typo); reworded to a plain paraphrase instead of a near-verbatim quote.

On the ballot · 9 candidates

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEMichael Echols
R
Misti Cordell
R
Gabe Firment
R
Stewart Cathey
R
Oscar Dantzler
R
Austin Magee
R
Dan McKay
D
Patricia Moore
D
Antonio Wilson
D
Protect legal access to abortion—————Opposes[6]Supports[7]——
Stricter gun laws—————Opposes[6]———
Raise taxes on high earners or corporations——————Supports[7]——
Expand public health coverage——————Supports[7]——
Increase police funding and staffingSupports[2]————Supports[6]———

The candidates, in full

Michael Echols

RLouisiana State Representative, District 14 (Chairman, House Republican Delegation)

Michael Echols is a Louisiana State Representative for District 14, businessman and developer from Monroe who chairs the House Republican Delegation. He leads Echo Development, which has revitalized historic properties in North Louisiana, and hosts a radio show, "Echols at 8." He is running for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District on public safety, energy and jobs, and reducing federal spending.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

  • actionServes as Louisiana State Representative for District 14 and Chairman of the House Republican Delegation.[2]

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsIncrease police funding and staffing

    Pledges to use federal tools to put more officers on the street and support law enforcement.[2]

    “I'll use federal tools to put more officers on the street, support law enforcement, and go after repeat violent offenders.”

In their words — priorities

  • Says Washington has failed on public safety and pledges to use federal tools to put more officers on the street and target repeat violent offenders.[2]
  • Wants to cut regulation and expand energy production, including oil and gas and data infrastructure along the I-20 corridor.[2]
  • Pledges to rein in federal spending, saying Washington "spends too much, wastes too much, and puts Americans last."[2]

Background

  • Leads Echo Development, a real-estate development company that has revitalized historic properties across North Louisiana, including The Hotel Monroe.[2]
  • Serves as Louisiana State Representative for District 14 and as Chairman of the House Republican Delegation.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $3.0M · spent $1.9M · $1.1M cash on hand (through 2026-07-18) FEC filing ↗

Misti Cordell

R

Misti Cordell is a Republican candidate on the ballot for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Campaign money

Raised $556K · spent $407K · $149K cash on hand (through 2026-07-18) FEC filing ↗

Gabe Firment

RLouisiana State Representative, District 22 (since 2020)

Gabe Firment is a Louisiana State Representative for District 22, serving since 2020, and is a Republican candidate for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.[3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

  • actionServing as Louisiana State Representative for District 22 since 2020.[3]

Background

  • Serves as Louisiana State Representative for District 22 since 2020.[3]

Stewart Cathey

RLouisiana State Senator, District 33 (since 2020)

Stewart Cathey is a Louisiana State Senator for District 33, serving since 2020, and is a Republican candidate for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.[4]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

  • actionServing as Louisiana State Senator for District 33 since 2020.[4]

Background

  • Serves as Louisiana State Senator for District 33 since 2020.[4]

Campaign money

Raised $14K · spent $335 · $13K cash on hand (through 2026-07-18) FEC filing ↗

Oscar Dantzler

R

Oscar Dantzler, also known as Omar, is a Republican candidate on the ballot for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.[5]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Austin Magee

RSmall business owner

Austin Magee is a small-business owner and builder running as a Republican candidate for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, campaigning as a political outsider on political reform and fiscal responsibility.[6]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • OpposesProtect legal access to abortion

    Describes himself as "pro life" in his survey response.[6]

  • OpposesStricter gun laws

    Says he is passionate about protecting constitutional rights, especially the first and second amendments.[6]

  • SupportsIncrease police funding and staffing

    Says he supports law enforcement, the military and veterans.[6]

In their words — priorities

  • Wants to "reform politics itself," including banning congressional stock trading, passing a term-limits amendment, and limiting lobbying.[6]
  • Calls for fiscal responsibility, saying the country cannot let politicians bankrupt it.[6]
  • Wants federal action to regulate AI, saying it should never be given power to decide life or death.[6]

Background

  • Works as a blue-collar small business owner and builder; has no previous political experience.[6]

Campaign money

Raised $8,939 · spent $7,654 · $1,284 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Dan McKay

DAttorney; city attorney for Bunkie, Hessmer and Evergreen, Louisiana

Dan McKay is an attorney from Avoyelles Parish who has practiced law for over 45 years, including as a public defender, assistant district attorney, and city attorney for several central Louisiana towns. He is a U.S. Army veteran running as the Democratic candidate for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District on protecting rural hospitals, democratic institutions, and reproductive healthcare decisions.[7]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsProtect legal access to abortion

    Says decisions about women's healthcare should be made between a woman and her medical professionals.[7]

    “Women's healthcare should be a matter of decision-making between a woman and her medical professionals.”
  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Says healthcare should be viewed as a human right and opposes Medicaid cuts that threaten rural hospitals in the district.[7]

  • SupportsRaise taxes on high earners or corporations

    Says working people are "starved financially and paid sparsely while repeated tax cuts favor only the most wealthy."[7]

In their words — priorities

  • Warns that about 20 rural hospitals in the 5th District are under threat of closing due to Medicaid cuts in the 2026 federal budget law.[7]
  • Says healthcare should be viewed as a human right, and that a woman's healthcare decisions should be made between her and her medical professionals.[7]
  • Says the principles of democracy, including separation of church and state, free elections, rule of law, and a free press, are under attack and must be protected.[7]

Background

  • U.S. Army veteran with two years overseas service; graduate of the LSU Law Center.[7]
  • Maintained a general law practice in Avoyelles Parish for over 45 years, including 15 years as a public defender and more than 11 years as an assistant district attorney.[7]
  • Has served as city attorney for Bunkie (12 years), Hessmer (24 years) and Evergreen (18 years).[7]

Campaign money

Raised $90K · spent $109K · $-19K cash on hand (through 2026-07-18) FEC filing ↗

Patricia Moore

D

Patricia Moore is a Democratic candidate on the ballot for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.[8]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Antonio Wilson

D

Antonio Wilson is a Democratic candidate on the ballot for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Research notes & limits

This is a crowded open-seat race (9 candidates). Michael Echols, Austin Magee and Dan McKay completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Misti Cordell (the best-funded Republican after Echols), Oscar Dantzler, Patricia Moore and Antonio Wilson had no campaign website, survey response, or other public statements found beyond their names and party on the ballot. Gabe Firment and Stewart Cathey are current Louisiana state legislators but did not complete the survey or have an accessible campaign site with issue positions; only their current office is documented here.

Sources · 8

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.Louisiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Michael Echols — Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
  3. 3.Gabe Firment · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  4. 4.Stewart Cathey · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  5. 5.Oscar Dantzler · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  6. 6.Austin Magee — Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
  7. 7.Dan McKay — Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
  8. 8.Patricia Moore (Louisiana) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference