Higgins’ earlier Twitter post claimed that his wife “awoke crying” over a dream in which Federal squads raided their home, “seizing guns, knives, ‘unauthorized foods’ and stored water” after being “reported” by an unknown entity.
“What happened to our freedom? She asked. What indeed,” Higgins wrote.
In response Anderson retweeted Higgins’ post with a comment: “In my dream, I took your job.” That gained over 12,000 Twitter ’likes’ so far.
Roughly 10 minutes later, the Democratic candidate shared his opponent’s tweet again, this time paired with a link to his campaign fundraising page.
“This is what we are up against,” Anderson wrote. “Help us out. We are in the middle of filming three tv ads as we speak, to push in the final days.”
Anderson is campaigning to unseat Higgins, a two-term Republican congressman, in Louisiana’s third district, along with Democratic candidate Braylon Harris and Libertarian candidate Brandon LeLeux. A self-described progressive Southern Democrat, Anderson is vocal about being on the autism spectrum and aims to become the first openly autistic person in the U.S. Congress.
Higgins, running for his third congressional term and a self-described constitutionalist, has had his fair share of controversial moments well before the “premonition” tweet.
Earlier this month, Higgins was one of five members of Congress to vote against adopting a resolution supporting a peaceful transfer of power if President Donald Trump loses the upcoming election.
Facebook took down two of Higgins’ posts last month after suggesting that he would shoot armed demonstrators if they showed up to protests against police brutality in Louisiana.
“If this shows up, we’ll consider the armed presence a real threat,” Higgins, a former law enforcement officer, wrote alongside a picture of an armed Black militia group.
“One way ticket fellas. Have your affairs in order,” he added. “Me? … I wouldn’t even spill my beer. I’d drop any 10 of you where you stand.”
Nonpartisan election forecast site 270toWin rates Higgins as “safe” for the incumbent party.
Higgins’ recent tweet gained a lot of attention on the platform, with over 18,000 retweets. Several journalists, celebrities, politicians and activists crafted either a satirical response or a serious take on the state of politics and lawmakers as the election approaches.
“Well this is a level of crazy that breaks through the noise of an already crazy year,” wrote Walter Shaub, former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
Actor Mark Hamill also weighed in, tweeting the congressmen to ask his wife “what I should have for dinner tonight.”
Zack Ford, the press secretary of progressive advocacy group Alliance for Justice, noted similarities between Higgins’ tweet and several real-world situations.
“Imagine your local police officers just busting down your door without knocking and shooting you in your bed,” Ford wrote. “That’s the reality for many people already. #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor.”
Newsweek reached out to Higgins’ office for comment Saturday.
