Democratic Senate nominee Jamie Davis speaks during a Veterans for Davis campaign event at the World War 2 Museum in New Orleans, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK
Enan Chediak
Jamie Davis, a farmer who is the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, told 300 people at a Veterans for Davis rally Thursday night that President Donald Trump started the Iran war “without a plan.”
Davis also criticized his Republican opponent in the Senate race, U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, for voting against congressional resolutions to end the war, at an event held before an enthusiastic crowd at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
Davis made his remarks only days before the early voting period begins on Tuesday, in advance of the Nov. 3 election.
In a low-profile campaign without fireworks so far, Davis painted a clear contrast with Letlow, who has Trump’s strong backing.
In a recent interview, Letlow was asked whether Trump had erred in attacking Iran.
“I don’t have the intelligence that the president has,” Letlow replied. “I trust that he was acting on behalf of America.”
Her comments tracked with what she said in May while speaking before a business group in St. Tammany Parish.
“If American lives were not at risk, he would not have taken the action that he did,” she told the North Shore Business Council. “It was bold and decisive.”
At Thursday night’s event, former Gov. John Bel Edwards, a West Point grad who spent eight years in the Army, warmed up the crowd for Davis by describing Letlow as a “rubber stamp” for Trump in the House.
Speaking as if he was Letlow talking to Trump, Edwards said, “You want to keep fighting in Iran? I’ll support that, even though you really can’t tell us why you did it to begin with, what you hope to accomplish, what your strategy is to win, when it will end.”
Following Edwards on the stage, Davis told the crowd that everyone is paying the price for the Iran war in the form of more costly groceries and fuel.
“Multiple times, the House of Representatives cleared a resolution to end the war, with votes of support from Republicans and Democrats,” Davis said. “My opponent voted for continuing the war each time. And let me be clear: my fight is not with the troops. It never will be. They kept their oath. My fight is with those who started a war without a plan.”
Davis didn’t name Trump, but the crowd’s boisterous response made it clear that it wasn’t necessary.
Letlow, in her recent interview, said constituents “seem to understand that we can’t allow Iran to have nuclear weapons or the capability to make nuclear weapons. We all don’t want to see this drag on for years and years. We’d like to see it come to a conclusion pretty shortly.”
But Davis, in a separate interview, noted that Trump said last year he had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear bomb making facilities and that he had decimated Iran’s military in the open days of the war this year.
“So if they have been decimated, why are we still fighting?” Davis asked. “If there’s no chance of them having a weapon of mass destruction, why are we still fighting? If everything he’s going to do has been accomplished, why are we still over there?”
At the World War II Museum, Davis criticized the Trump administration for keeping the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Middle East for so long.
“We watched a carrier come home after nearly a year at sea, with the sailors sick and worn down,” Davis said. “No hot water. Bad food. Short on soap.”
He continued: “Five months ago, my opponent said she was happy that the President had negotiated an end to the war and things would become affordable again. My opponent hasn’t been straight with Louisianans about the cost of this war.”
Before he began his prepared speech, Davis called Gary Crockett onto the stage, which was lined with veterans. Davis noted that Crockett was a veteran – he spent 24 years in the Navy – and had been his opponent in the Democratic primary.
Also standing beside Davis was Nick Albares, another opponent in the Democratic primary, who is now his policy adviser.
Letlow has not secured the support of either of her Republican primary opponents, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy or state Treasurer John Fleming.