(The following press release is from the Republican Party of Louisiana.)

With nearly every lawmaker and public interest group coming out in support of the state budget that passed the House and Senate almost unanimously, one thing is clear: The biggest loser of this year’s legislative session is State Senator and Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Carter Peterson.

After drawing bipartisan, widespread condemnation and national news stories ridiculing her absurd statement that opposition to Obamacare is driven by racism, Senator Peterson’s week ended on another sour note after she was the only legislator in either chamber of the Louisiana Legislature to oppose the budget.

One hundred and forty-two State Senators and Representatives voted in support of the budget, while State Senator Peterson was the only one who voted against it.

State Senator Peterson’s opposition to the state spending plan flies in the face of the praise that her colleagues have heaped on the bill. Even fellow liberals Rep. John Bel Edwards and Rep. Katrina Jackson have applauded both the contents of the legislation and the manner in which it was passed.

Rep. John Bel Edwards, the House Democratic Caucus chair, even thanked Governor Jindal for working with the Legislature to add in $69 million in increased K-12 education funding and teacher pay raises. Rep. Katrina Jackson stated after the budget passed, “I stand with you as proud as I’ve ever been to be a House member.”

“Thursday's 142-1 vote on the state spending plan that balances the budget without raising taxes and includes a $69 million increase in funding for K-12 education and teacher salaries raises an important question," said LAGOP Executive Director Jason Doré. "Just how far left and out of touch is the Louisiana State Democratic Party and its chairwoman, State Senator Karen Carter Peterson?”

“Even State Senator Peterson’s most liberal colleagues in the state House and Senate came out in strong support of this bi-partisan budget deal," Doré went on to say. "Yesterday’s vote shows that State Senator Peterson is standing all alone, and far to the left of every state legislator in Louisiana. It will be interesting to see if Democrat candidates, including Senator Mary Landrieu, begin to distance themselves from this extremely liberal and out of touch Democratic Partychairwoman.”

"Governor Jindal and Republican legislators, along with grassroots activists across the state, were successful in stopping tax increases on Louisiana families and businesses, blocking the disastrous Obamacare Medicaid expansion, protecting education reform and strengthening education funding. We're now turning our focus to gearing up for the largest and most technologically advanced campaign Louisiana has ever seen to defeat Louisiana's last liberal standing, Mary Landrieu," said Doré.

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