Article written by Greg Hilburn and originally published by The News Star on September 29, 2014

Ed Tarpley said he had planned to run for the 5th Congressional District seat even before U.S. Rep. Vance McAllister's kissing scandal made the freshman congressman more vulnerable to opposition.

"When McAllister was elected I assumed he was a solid conservative, but his first vote was to increased spending by $64 billion," said Tarpley, referring to McAllister's vote to approve a budget compromise in December to avoid a government shutdown. "We knew from the first vote that he's not a true conservative.

"That was a signal. He had already said he supported amnesty for illegal aliens. It was clear to me from that first vote that he wasn't a conservative and couldn't effectively represent the district."

Tarpley, a Republican attorney from Alexandria, wants to play a part in setting America on what he believes is the right path.

Tarpley served as district attorney for Grant Parish from 1991-97 and didn't seek re-election.

"We must leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren," he said. "I'll fight to preserve individual liberty and personal freedom," he said. "Right now our country is on the wrong path. A lot of people don't believe the American dream is still within reach, and that's a real shame."

Tarpley said Congress as a whole needs to be weaned from political action committee special interest money.

"(Former Gov.) Buddy Roemer used to say, 'Congress isn't broke; Congress is bought,' from thousands of PACs giving millions of dollars that have corrupted Congress," he said. "I won't take money from PACs or special interests. That's the only way to remain independent."

Tarpley said he doesn't support a Medicaid expansion in Louisiana or the Affordable Care Act from which it came.

"The Medicaid system is broke; most doctors don't take Medicaid, so the idea that an expansion of the program will increase coverage isn't true," he said. "The Affordable Care Act should be repealed. It's essentially a government takeover of our health care system."

Tarpley said the health care law doesn't even help most of the people for which it was designed.

"It's destroying the 40-hour work week because employers are cutting back full-time hours to avoid the mandate," Tarpley said. "That's one of the most disastrous consequences of the law.

"Working men and women not only aren't getting coverage — they're losing wages as businesses avoid the burden of the mandate," Tarpley said. "The impact has been extreme."

And Tarpley said what he called America's "open border" policy contributes to the weakening of the working and middle classes because of a flood of undocumented workers providing cheap labor.

"We need border enforcement and security and to finish building the fence that has already been authorized in Congress," he said. "We have an average unemployment rate of 10 percent in the 5th District. Does it make sense to let thousands of (undocumented workers) come here to the 5th District to suppress wages and take jobs?

"We also need to end the policy of chain migration where a family members already here and sponsor other family members," Tarpley said. "We've lost control of our borders. And we need a president who is going to enforce the law. I have a great fear that the president is going to legalize 5 million illegal aliens through executive order after the election."

"I'm deeply concerned about our future, and the only way to help is to send conservative leadership that isn't bound to special interests to Congress," he said. "I'm that person in the 5th District."

Others in the 5th District race include: Dr. Ralph Abraham, R-Alto; Eliot Baron, Green Party-New Orleans; Republican Monroe businessman Harris Brown; "Duck Dynasty" cousin Zach Dasher, R-West Monroe; Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Clyde Holloway, R-Forest Hill; Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo, the only Democrat; McAllister; and Libertarian Charles Saucier of Ponchatoula.