WASHINGTON — Louisiana lawmakers, lobbyists, and business executives headed home Sunday — many to participate in a special session that starts Monday — from what organizers privately surmise was the most popular Washington Mardi Gras ever.
Though Washington Mardi Gras ostensibly is for municipal, parish and state officials to meet with Louisiana’s congressional delegation, the event’s main purpose seems to be a retreat where the state’s political and corporate elite, drink in hand, visit and build relationships.
“While we all enjoy the celebrations, this week is an opportunity for our delegation to meet with stakeholders from across the state and have important conversations about Louisiana’s future,” U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Start, told The Advocate | The Times-Picayune. She chaired the event.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and the next six officials in the line of succession were in D.C. during the event. Candidates seeking to replace the term-limited Edwards later this year used the opportunity to raise money and schmooze with the influential.
Tickets sold at $300-plus a pop for Saturday’s black-tie ball when the princesses were introduced. So many tickets were sold that D.C. fire marshal crowd restrictions required the krewe to buy back passes, according to a krewe member who hadn’t been authorized to speak, thus spoke on condition of anonymity. The event is privately held and media coverage is discouraged to preserve an atmosphere where politicians and businesspersons can speak unguardedly.
The end of the COVID pandemic; the amount of federal dollars now available for local governments; the effort to pass the RISEE Act, which would raise the cap on federal payments to Louisiana from offshore federal waters; and the gubernatorial election likely led to this year’s crush to participate in the carnival that began Thursday and ended with the formal ball Saturday night, the source said.
The more popular ticket was the Thursday night “Louisiana Alive!” party, which attracts D.C. residents.
More than 3,000 wrist bracelets were sold, according to krewe members. Participants were separated at the door based on the color of their wristbands with most of the crowd ushered to a dance floor. Those with purple bands went to a gallery raised around the dance floor with suites, from which beads were thrown. A crowd that appeared mostly from Louisiana mingled with the corporate sponsors in the suites.
Begun in the 1940s as a casual party for a handful of homesick congressional staffers, funding and organizing the Washington Mardi Gras was taken over by the Mystick Krewe of Louisianans, whose leaders are called lieutenants and hail from law and lobbying firms. The krewe pays for the event through fees, tickets sales and dues.
The Washington Hilton, where President Ronald Reagan was shot in March 1981, is the headquarters. The Hilton renamed its bar “The 65th Parish” and 90% of its roughly 1,000 rooms were booked by people from Louisiana. Other attendees also stayed in nearby hotels. Related events were held in restaurants, bars and venues around the city.
“It allows you to build some relationships,” Liz Mangham said of the Washington Mardi Gras.
A Baton Rouge lobbyist, Mangham was a Mardi Gras princess in the 1980s. Along with a king and queen, the congressional delegation chooses princesses who are joined by the queens from more than two dozen Louisiana festivals. They are toasted at the Governor’s Mansion before being flown to the nation's capital. In Washington, the princesses get tours of the U.S. Capitol, talk with delegation and other high-placed federal officials.
“It exposes young women to something they’ve never experienced before and maybe it sparks an interest in public service. That’s what it did for me,” Mangham said.
The parish executives met with their delegation members seeking answers and details on federal projects that impact Louisiana communities.
Flood insurance, for instance, was on the agenda for nearly every parish president, said Meg Bankston, executive director of the Parish Presidents of Louisiana. In particular, the parish leaders wanted to know when the flood maps — and the criteria used to draw them — would be released. That information impacts how much homeowners and business pay in premiums.
“Congressman Johnson has devoted as much time as possible to meeting with countless constituents, elected officials, community leaders and business leaders from across his district and across the state to discuss a wide range of issues, from energy policy to our national defense to health care costs to the debt ceiling — and everything in between,” according to a statement from the press office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Benton.
The governor and all six officials listed in the state Constitution’s Article 4 Section 14 line of succession were in D.C.
As lieutenant governor, Billy Nungesser constitutionally takes the reins whenever the governor leaves the state. In the Washington Hilton on Friday, Nungesser was about 10 yards from Edwards when he jokingly suggested some police juror probably had the power to suspend the opening of Monday’s special legislative session.
Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, number three in line, on Friday was raising money for his campaign along with U.S. Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson.
Attorney General Jeff Landry and State Treasurer John Schroder, respectively number four and five on the succession list, were campaigning for governor among the attendees. Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, number six in the line succession, was at an event sponsored by House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, the Gonzales Republican who is number seven.
Conversation about who the next governor might be dominated Washington Mardi Gras gossip.
At first it was speculation about the electoral intent of U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge. But that talk veered into “who else” conversations when Graves was named to a high-level congressional job.
“Right now, it’s still early,” U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, said after a Democratic Party breakfast. “I don’t think anybody has made a serious decision.”
State Sen. Gary Smith, a Norco Democrat whose family owns one of the state’s largest companies, said Thursday he’s still considering the race as is Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson.
Helena Moreno, president of the New Orleans City Council, said Friday that she is not running for governor.
How about mayor?
“My priorities are the city of New Orleans,” responded Moreno at an event she hosted that was sponsored by Carter, along with former U.S. senators John Breaux and Mary Landrieu.
U.S. House Majority Leader Scalise summed up the Washington Mardi Gras as “a great opportunity for our Congressional delegation to come together with local and state leaders in our nation’s capital to discuss our shared priorities for Louisiana, while also honoring our history and traditions and celebrating our unique culture with others in D.C.”