BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Political upstart Clay Higgins has won Louisiana's runoff for the state's 3rd District U.S. House seat, defeating a fellow Republican once considered a lock on the job.

Higgins, a former sheriff's captain dubbed the "Cajun John Wayne" for his attention-grabbing Crime Stoppers segments, trounced Scott Angelle, a state utility regulator, in Saturday's election.

Angelle, third-place finisher in last year's governor's race, has been an elected or appointed official for nearly three decades. He had been the presumed front-runner since announcing his campaign, armed with more money and support than any competitors in the primary.

But Higgins tapped into national discontent with long-time politicians, characterizing his opponent as part of an "establishment machine" that needs to be uprooted.

The 3rd District covers southwest and south central Louisiana.

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