Lenar Whitney

On June 25, 2014, Lenar Whitney stated in a campaign video that human-caused climate change is "the greatest deception in the history of mankind." Dismissing evidence of global warming presented in Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth and the consensus of scientific opinion that Earth's climate is being affected by human activities,[8] Whitney claimed that in the past ten years the planet "has done nothing but get colder each year." As evidence, Whitney stated "any 10-year-old can invalidate [the theses of climate scientists] with one of the simplest scientific devices known to man: a thermometer."[9][10][11] Fact checker website PolitiFact.com ruled that, "There is an overwhelming consensus among respected scientists that human-caused global warming is real, and Whitney's supporting evidence falls flat. We rate this claim Pants on Fire."[12]

Whitney further stated in her campaign video that she attributes the phasing out of high-energy light bulbs in the United States to "progressives" instead of U.S. President George W. Bush,[13][14] who signed that law. Whitney also stated that she believes that "many Middle East countries" want to "blow the United States off the face of the Earth," using funds from selling petroleum to the United States, citing no evidence.[9]

Nonpartisan analyst David Wasserman of The Cook Political Report called Whitney "the most frightening candidate I've met in seven years interviewing congressional hopefuls." Wasserman reported that while interviewing her on July 23, 2014, he asked Whitney for the source of her claim that the earth is getting colder. "She froze and was unable to cite a single scientist, journal, or news source to back up her beliefs." When Whitney was asked if she doubted the Hawaiian birthplace of U.S. President Barack Obama, her campaign consultants pulled her from the interview and thereafter called Wasserman's attitude "belittling".[15] Wasserman said, "It was the first time in hundreds of Cook Political Report meetings that a candidate has fled the room."[16] Whitney later claimed that Wasserman attacked her: "It was obvious, from the onset of the interview, that Wasserman had planned to jump me simply because I am a conservative woman ... liberal shills like [him] want to destroy us."[17] Steve Benen, producer of The Rachel Maddow Show, commented, "A tip for candidates everywhere: if you literally run away from questions, you’re doing it wrong."[18]

Whitney's congressional race may have negatively impacted her prospects for holding on to her state House seat for a second term. With 3,064 votes (34.25 percent), she fell nine votes short of a plurality in the October 24 primary. The leading candidate was a second Republican candidate, attorney Tanner Magee of Houma, who received 3,073 votes (34.35 percent). Holding the key to victory was the Democratic candidate, Brenda Leroux Babin, who polled 2,809 ballots (31.4 percent).[19]

In the runoff election on November 21 in conjunction with the victory of the Democrat John Bel Edwards as governor, Whitney was handily unseated by Tanner Magee, who polled 4,978 votes (60.8 percent) to her 3,206 votes (39.2 percent).[20]