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Hello! I hope that you're having a great summer.

This email will include information on the status of abortion in Louisiana, my fast-moving State Senate campaign, and other information.

I hope that you consider supporting the Senate campaign, either financially or by knocking on doors. Both are the *most* important part of an independent, grassroots campaign (bottom-up versus top-down!). We do great on the doors - it's fun and we have great responses. Asking people for money is the hardest part of campaigning for me.

The maximum donation for this race is $2500. All amounts are appreciated. We also appreciate monthly donations; sometimes it's hard to give $100, $500, or more all at once, but spread out over a few months it is more accessible for many people.

Fun news: I was quoted recently in the New York Times. The topic was about messaging on abortion, and how nationally, Democrats are bad at messaging. :)

Thank you as always for your support.

Mandie

Last Wednesday I qualified for the state senate race with my mom......then she, my sister, and I took my brand new nephew to his first pediatrician appointment! Lennon Landry and my sister are doing great, and he's a sweet little nugget.  Add Auntie to the list of names I respond to now. :)

We plan to canvass Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, & Sunday, mostly in the afternoon/evening, depending on rain and volunteers. It is fun and easy, and you can bring the kids (and dogs, if they're up for the heat!). Volunteers are provided a shirt and everything that they need - including a new tote bag. :)  Knocking doors is a fun and *free* way to support the campaign of a progressive, pro-choice female candidate - a rare opportunity in Louisiana. Please reach out to Alex at [email protected] to volunteer, or fill out this form.

I'll also be at the 3 uptown French Truck locations several times in August. Please stop by for a cup of coffee, a shirt, or just to say hello. Schedule below.

As you may know, two Louisiana courts have now held that the state's trigger bans cannot currently be enforced. This means that the state's 3 abortion clinics can open and operate the same as they did prior to the Roe decision. The trigger bans would completely, 100% prohibit abortion in the state - they are named "trigger bans" because when they were passed (one in 2006!), they were designed to go into effect immediately if/when Roe was overturned. However, the state's 3 trigger bans are inconsistent and are likely unconstitutionally vague. A person cannot be accused of breaking a law if the crime and penalty are not clear, and in this case, the prohibition on abortion and related penalties are inconsistent and confusing, in particular for doctors.

It's my opinion that regardless of what happens with the court case, that the state legislature will ultimately pass a new, clearer abortion prohibition. Our hope is that by the time this happens, we will have a coalition of parents, doctors, advocates, and reasonable people to at least convince my colleagues that this new (possible) law should have exceptions for rape and incest, and give doctors the ability to treat their pregnant patients as they should. I will of course keep you updated. I've posted several reels on Instagram that explain what has been going on, like the one below.

For the lawyers out there: Lift Louisiana, in partnership with the ACLU, is in the process of creating a program that "will provide legal representation and advice to people seeking abortions, people who may be charged and prosecuted for obtaining or self-managing abortions, and people aiding others in obtaining abortion care." Sign up here. Lift was founded by my friends Ellie Schilling and Michelle Erenberg, and Ellie is the lawyer who filed the trigger ban lawsuit against the state. Through Lift, I formerly represented the Shreveport abortion clinic and minors seeking an abortion through judicial bypass.

I visited and spoke at the grand opening of the newly reopened Backstreet Cultural Museum. New Orleans has so much history and culture that we need to preserve - go check it out! Thanks Horace for the invite. (See pic below.)

Lynda Woolard hosted a zoom for advocates and reproductive rights and invited Deon Haywood of Women With a Vision and me to speak and answer questions.

If you're in or near Lafayette, I have some lovely friends and supporters who are hosting an event for me on Friday, August 19. I regularly hear from people around the state who are thankful that someone is representing them in the Capitol. These are my favorite yet often most heartbreaking messages. 



Applications are now open for the City's Civic Leadership Academy. I did this a few years ago and found it very informative. It is free.