About Kate
Raised Behind the Counter, Running for the Coast
If you grew up in Lake Charles, you know the name. Cotten's Burgers fed generations of Southwest Louisiana families: refinery crews coming off shift, kids after Friday night football, neighbors who became regulars and regulars who became family.
Kate Cotten was raised in that business, and it taught her everything Washington has forgotten. You do not spend money you do not have. You take care of the people who work for you. You keep your word, you keep your books, and you keep your community fed. When a hurricane knocks you down, you rebuild, and you help your neighbor rebuild first.
Kate watched Laura and Delta tear through Calcasieu and Cameron. She watched the blue tarps stay up for years while Washington sent our money everywhere but home. She watched our parks get stripped, our debt explode past $37 trillion, our young people asked to gear up for another war in the Middle East, and our coastline handed over to corporations that could not find Cameron Parish on a map five years ago.
She decided that if conservatism was going to mean something again in the Third District, somebody from the Third District was going to have to stand up and say so.
What Kate Believes
The Roots of Real Conservatism
Conserve What We Inherited
The parks, the coast, the marsh, the Constitution, the family table. A conservative's first job is to hand these down intact. Anyone selling them off is not a conservative; they are a liquidator.
Peace Is the Conservative Position
Strong defense, secure borders, and no wars of choice. The Founders gave Congress the war power precisely so men in Washington could not spend Louisiana lives on a whim.
Pro-Life Means the Whole Life
A movement that fights for the child before birth must fight just as hard for the child after: for the mother's leave, the father's paycheck, the pre-K classroom, the school lunch tray, and the doctor's visit.
The District Comes First
Not the party leadership. Not the donors. Not a launch company's flight schedule. When Kate votes, the question will be simple: is this good for the people of the Third District?
The Road Here
A Third District Story
A Lake Charles Institution
The Cotten family builds a burger business on hard work and hospitality, becoming a fixture of Southwest Louisiana life.
Laura and Delta, 2020
Back-to-back hurricanes devastate Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. Kate sees firsthand how slowly Washington moves for Southwest Louisiana, and how fast neighbors move for each other.
Watching Washington Drift
Debt piles up, wars are floated, parks are stripped, and the district's own congressman votes with the drift instead of against it.
August 7, 2026: Qualifying Day
Kate qualifies as a Republican candidate for Louisiana's Third Congressional District, challenging the incumbent in the November 3 general election.
Stand With Kate
This campaign will be won the way the family business was built: one neighbor at a time.