From the Desk of Gene Mills

Dear Friends,
As you know, Louisiana will choose its next governor this Saturday, November 21st. Opinions run deep as
to who should be elected. Many of my friends who originally supported either Scott Angelle or Jay
Dardenne in the October 24th primary have told me they are leaning toward John Bel Edwards, while
others have concluded that David Vitter is the right choice for Louisiana.
The earnest effort to evaluate each candidates fitness for office remains a stewardship responsibility
(see Exodus 18:21). To that end, I have a few thoughts to share with you, but I want to make it clear
that my comments here are my own as an individual citizen, and are not intended to represent the views
of Louisiana Family Forum (LFF), and should not be construed as an endorsement of a candidate by
LFF.
First, lets be direct. The elephant in the room (no pun intended) is the Senators confession seven years
ago of an undisclosed moral failure, which occurred fifteen years ago. This begs the question: how can
faithful Christians support David Vitter?
For the record, that is a fair question.
As a leader in the Christian church, an ordained minister, a presbyter and an adviser to pastors across
Louisiana, I have seen many broken lives, broken hearts, broken families, and broken homes.
Unfortunately, brokenness is a far too common reality for many individuals andfamilies in Louisiana (La.
Cultural Indicators Report).
David Vitter's family arrived at a place of brokenness as well. By his own admission and due solely to his
personal actions, the risk of a broken marriage, family, and career were imminent, and would likely have
occurred had David not sought reconciliation and restoration through personal repentance, prayer, and
outside counsel. Brokenness would have remained had David not received forgiveness from his family.
Thankfully, David invited God into his crisis and asked his wife, children, and God to forgive and restore
him. They extended grace when David needed it most!
This is the same grace that God offers all sinners who approach His throne.
He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. ~
Proverbs 28:13
Owning failure and asking God for liberty from sin and its effect is in fact the very business of our Saviors
reconciling work. It is also a core conservative principle: own your mistakes, learn life lessons from them,
and, in humility, build a better character and future!
The result of Davids admission is that his family, his marriage, and his standing with the Lord were all
restored many years ago. I have had the privilege of praying and walking with this brother through some of
those tenuous moments. There is no doubt his repentance was authentic, and his intact faith and family is
evidence of that. From brokenness to blessing, Gods redemptive work warrants respect and in line
with Proverbs 28:13 instructs that we respond with mercy!
Second, in spite of the opinion of some, I do not pledge allegiance to any political party. I pledge my
allegiance to Christ alone and to His Holy Word. His command compels me to bring these words and
works of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:15)
However, I do pay careful attention to the platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties both
at the national and at the state levels. Those respective platforms serve as the doctorial guidance, the

statement of faith, and overall mission of each party. When I study each partys platform, I do
notice very significant differences. These differences should be important to conscientious citizens and all
people of faith.
Along with party platforms, it helps to compare and contrast the recorded political history of each
candidate, as evidenced by their party affiliations and actual voting records. All of that information is
important in providing a context for measuring the rancorous campaign rhetoric. Click here to see John Bel
Edwards LFF lifetime voting records; click here to see David Vitters Lifetime FRC voting record.
When you look at each contenders actual voting record, you can see that David Vitter has an
indisputable record on life, liberty, and limited government issues. He is the only candidate who has
the endorsement of National Right to Life, has authored numerous bills to advance the pro-life cause and
has a 95% lifetime voting record with the Family Research Council Action. Along with the redemption
and reconciliation that have become a hallmark in Davids life, his record suggests that he would continue
the gradual conservative reforms that Louisiana began nearly two decades ago.
I have also worked closely with and respect John Bel Edwards, but we have not often agreed on
matters of public policy. While he has voted correctly on pro-life issues, he has never authored a single
pro-life bill, and he has on occasion advanced amendments that would weaken pro-life legislation.
Louisiana Right to Life and LFF have had to oppose those Edwards amendments. We also strongly
disagree on the issue of Planned Parenthood, since he has said on the record he would not be in favor
of immediately defunding this abortion-minded organization.
John Bels votes on many other social issues have been just as non-traditional. His record shows he is
comfortable with bigger government solutions to the problems facing our state, and in some
instances he is opposed to parental choice in education. At the same time, he has supported
comprehensive sex education in public schools, which includes conversations around contraceptive
use and abortion information for teenagers.
John Bel has assured LGBT groups that if elected Governor - he will sign an executive order that elevates
sexual orientation to a newly protected class, which is consistent with how he has voted during his tenure in
the Legislature.
LGBT advocate Mary Griggs cited John Bel Edwards in his own words:
As Governor I will sign an executive order which prevents discrimination (in) against LGBT people.
This proposed executive order has been called bad public policy and an affront to religious liberty- for a
number of important reasons, as explained here by Ryan Anderson, Senior Fellow at the Heritage
Foundation.
In conclusion, for those who are struggling for discernment about this critical election, I believe that moral
clarity is available. You can choose an admittedly flawed but redeemed conservative with a personal
testimony and virtually unchallenged voting record on life, liberty and limited government, who
identifies with a political party which values those same principles. Your other choice is a likable man
that has admirable qualities and a 51% voting record on life, liberty, and limited government, but who
identifies with a party that espouses values which are not in line with Louisianas traditional principles.
As for my family, the choice is quite clear. May God bless and guide you in your own decision, and may
God bless the great state of Louisiana!
In His Service,
Rev. Gene Mills