Claston Bernard

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Claston Bernard

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 20, 2021

Education

Bachelor's

Louisiana State University, 2002

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Operator of a building inspection and consulting company

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Claston Bernard (Republican Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the special primary on March 20, 2021.

Bernard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Claston Bernard was born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in 2002. Bernard’s career experience includes operating a building inspection and consulting company and being an author. Bernard has also been a two-time Olympian, a national champion with Louisiana State University, and a gold medalist in the Commonwealth Games.

Elections

2021

See also: Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District special election, 2021

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

General election

Special general election for U.S. House Louisiana District 2

Troy Carter defeated Karen Peterson in the special general election for U.S. House Louisiana District 2 on April 24, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Troy Carter (D)	55.2	48,513
		Karen Peterson (D)	44.8	39,297

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 87,810
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Special nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 2

The following candidates ran in the special primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 2 on March 20, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Troy Carter (D)	36.4	34,402
✔		Karen Peterson (D)	22.9	21,673
		Gary Chambers (D)	21.3	20,163
		Claston Bernard (R)	9.8	9,237
		Chelsea Ardoin (R)	3.4	3,218
		Greg Lirette (R)	2.5	2,349
	Submit photo	Sheldon Vincent Sr. (R)	0.8	754
		Desiree Ontiveros (D)	0.7	699
		Belden Batiste (Independent)	0.6	598
	Submit photo	Harold John (D)	0.4	403
		Mindy McConnell (L)	0.3	323
		J. Christopher Johnson (D)	0.3	288
	Submit photo	Jenette Porter (D)	0.3	244
	Submit photo	Lloyd Kelly (D)	0.1	122
		Brandon Jolicoeur (Independent)	0.1	94

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,567
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Bernard's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Claston Bernard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bernard's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Claston Bernard was born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in 2002. Bernard’s career experience includes operating a building inspection and consulting company and being an author. Bernard has also been a two-time Olympian, a national champion with Louisiana State University, and a gold medalist in the Commonwealth Games.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Education opportunities

• Term limits

• Crime reduction, economic opportunities, reducing poverty (Jobs and skill-based training)

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education opportunities, Pro-life, the Christian religion, term limits, crime reduction, economic opportunities, reducing poverty (Jobs and skill-based training ), and promoting American culture. Holding regular Townhall meetings, being the people's representative.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My father, he is the example of fatherhood

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

My books: Outcast, I was born a winner and whose voice do we hear and the life of Frederick Douglass.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Understanding that we are a Constitutional Republic and not a democracy.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a champion who will fight to change the poor direction of my district.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Upholding the Constitution, representing my constituents with honesty and integrity. Be accountable to the people.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Ending the poor state of my district

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Making it to one of the best schools in Jamaica on merit Munro College.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Working on LSU campus as a student from painting to packing boxes from freshman to my senior year,

What is your favorite book? Why?

Too many to list.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Old Rugged Cross.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

N/A

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The voice of the people

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. We need people willing to do the right thing.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The attack of Socialism

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Judiciary or Education

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

N/A

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, but there need to be term limits.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

N/A

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

The people need someone who will do right for a change.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

We need to reduce our national debt.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2021 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Louisiana District 2

Website

Twitter

Footnotes

[show]

Louisiana's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Bill Cassidy (R)

John Kennedy (R)

Representatives

District 1

Steve Scalise (R)

District 2

Troy Carter (D)

District 3

Clay Higgins (R)

District 4

Mike Johnson (R)

District 5

Julia Letlow (R)

District 6

Cleo Fields (D)

Republican Party (6)

Democratic Party (2)