Mel Manuel hopes to unseat ultra-conservative Rep. Steve Scalise – Scalawag
When Katie Darling suggested Mel Manuel run against Steve Scalise in the 2024 congressional race for Louisiana's 1st District, Manuel laughed. They were standing outside the Covington Library in Covington, Louisiana, following a library board meeting. At that point, Manuel had been steadily expanding their reach as a progressive activist in St. Tammany Parish, a notoriously conservative region of the state, since moving back to their hometown in 2021. At the time, they were still a private perso...