Is Bill Cassidy’s Take on Gumbo Going to Cost Him Re-election?

SHREVEPORT, La. (KPEL News) — U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy posted a controversial photo on Sunday that left Louisiana residents confused, outraged, and kind of nauseous.

Cassidy's photo featured a gumbo that included tomatoes and collard greens, saying the recipe was recommended to him by a pastor in Shreveport. The comments under the post were brutal.

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Can A Photo Lose Re-election?

Cassidy captioned the photo with "A Shreveport pastor recommended putting collard greens in gumbo. Really good!" However, the replies suggested most people viewed it as anything but good.

"Tell me you don’t know your state without telling me," one comment underneath the post read.

Most of the comments were likewise critical of the post, arguing that it was a sign Cassidy was out of touch with his state. The Senator is currently in a tight race for re-election, squaring off in a May primary against Rep. Julia Letlow (who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump) and State Treasurer John Fleming.

Another commenter chimed in with "Ever saw a food pic lose an election?"

It's not just the collard greens, but the tomatoes and the consistency of the roux that have people outraged.

Is It Really a Thing?

In fact, there is a variation of gumbo that does focus on collard greens: Gumbo z’herbes.

The name comes from the French “gumbo aux herbes,” which literally means “gumbo of greens.” Unlike most gumbo varieties that center on seafood or poultry, this one is built around a large mixture of leafy greens.

It’s especially associated with Lent and Holy Thursday traditions in South Louisiana. However, the gumbo pictured in Cassidy's post seems to include chicken and sausage, rendering the point of gumbo z’herbes—the meatless recipe, a focus on greens—moot.

"I believe this is a crime in Louisiana," a commenter on Cassidy's post said.

Will This Hurt Cassidy?

It might not hurt, but it certainly doesn't help.

A recent poll from Quantus Insights already shows Cassidy in a tough position. In a Fleming vs. Cassidy matchup, there is not a single demographic subgroup where Cassidy leads. Not one. Rural voters back Fleming over Cassidy roughly 62-19. Among voters 45-64, the backbone of the Republican primary electorate, Fleming wins 62-19. Against Letlow, the pattern holds. She runs closer in some subgroups, but Cassidy loses those matchups, too.

The 16.6% who are "open to replacing him but want the strongest alternative" are not a softening opportunity for Cassidy. They're comparison shoppers looking for the best vehicle to remove him. His true floor of committed support, the people who actually want him to stay in office, is roughly a quarter of the primary electorate.

The race isn't over. Two months of campaigning can move numbers. But the data, right now, does not give Cassidy a clear path forward. It gives him a narrow ledge, and both of his opponents are trying to knock him off it.

And, of course, his gumbo choices aren't helping him.

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