Republican · Louisiana's 3rd District · 2026

Clay Higgins

Higgins grew up in the New Orleans area and graduated from Covington High School before attending LSU.

Clay Higgins lives in Lafayette with his wife, Becca, and has kept a connection to law enforcement while serving in Congress.¹ His office says he maintains an active law enforcement commission and state certification for police officers.¹

Born in New Orleans, Higgins graduated from Covington High School and attended Louisiana State University.² His background includes service in the Army and Louisiana Army National Guard, business management and work as a deputy sheriff in St. Landry Parish and deputy marshal in Lafayette.² He began serving in the House in January 2017 and has since won four reelections.²

Higgins chairs the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee and also serves on Armed Services, including its readiness and seapower panels.¹³ He also serves on the House select subcommittee examining remaining questions surrounding January 6, 2021.³ In 2024, he was a House manager in the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; the Senate subsequently dismissed the articles.²⁴

The Republican incumbent faces fellow Republican Kate Cotten, Democrats John Day, Priscilla Gonzalez and Caleb Walker, and Tia LeBrun.⁵ LeBrun is listed with no party affiliation.⁶ His office identifies smaller government, lower taxes, border security and individual freedoms as his priorities; he is also a member of the House Freedom Caucus.¹

Record and controversies

Police administrative findings

Internal police records reported by The Independent in 2016 showed an Opelousas investigator concluded that Higgins used unnecessary force and gave false statements about a 2007 encounter.⁷ The City Council approved demotion, removal from SWAT, reassignment and 160 hours of unpaid suspension; Higgins resigned before the punishment could be imposed.⁷ Higgins had acknowledged knocking a cigarette from a detained man's mouth and initially lying, but described his correction as voluntary; the investigator disputed that sequence and the limited account of the force used.⁷

January 6 claims

At a November 2023 hearing, Higgins claimed buses of FBI informants disguised as Trump supporters were deployed to the Capitol on January 6, 2021.⁸ PolitiFact rated the claim false; Higgins defended his description to HuffPost, while FBI Director Christopher Wray denied that FBI sources or agents orchestrated the violence.⁸ A December 2024 Justice Department inspector general review found 26 confidential human sources in Washington, distinct from undercover FBI employees, and no authorization for sources to break the law or encourage illegal acts.⁹

Deleted comments about Haitians

In September 2024, Higgins posted and then deleted comments about Haitians that repeated the false claim of immigrants eating pets and told them to leave the country.¹⁰ Republicans blocked an immediate censure effort; Speaker Mike Johnson said Higgins had prayed about the post, regretted it and removed it.¹⁰

Epstein disclosure vote

In November 2025, Higgins cast the sole House vote against the Epstein Files Transparency Act.¹¹ He said its protections were insufficient for victims and people named without criminal implication.¹² The enacted law authorized redaction of identifying and private information about victims.¹³