Attorney General Jeff Landry, 52 years old, is the first Republican to run for governor in eight years after Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards’ consecutive term limitations were met.
Landry has a reputation for enforcing conservative policies in the state while serving as attorney general, a job he served in since 2016, which has led to conflicts with the previous Democratic governor.
Jeff Landry had a good chance of becoming the state’s next governor, but he had to get over some difficult math in the first round. On the ballot were 14 other contenders, including 7 Republicans.
When Landry assumes office in January, the state’s three elected officials will all be Republicans.
Mississippi and Kentucky will also conduct governor elections in November. Although both states are deeply red, like Louisiana, there is some suspense around both campaigns.
The results of the election show that our state is united, Landry stated in his victory speech on Saturday night that everyone should take note of it as a wake-up call and a warning that the people of that state should start to demand more from our government going forward.
Landry avoided a runoff by receiving more than 50% of the vote, as required by the state’s “jungle primary” system. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, won the state’s top office in 2011 and 2007, the previous two elections in which there wasn’t a runoff for the job.
Jeff Landry stated while standing on the podium at his Broussard election night party. He continued by saying that the nation was his family and that, as families do, they would try to improve it. Without a doubt, it was momentous and sent a strong message of state unity.
Although Landry, the attorney general of the state and a follower of Donald Trump who won the former president’s support, has been in the lead since the beginning of the campaign, few people thought he would win the primary without a runoff.
Since joining office in 2016, Landry, 52, has improved the reputation of the office of attorney general. He has promoted conservative policy stances while in office. Landry has gained more attention recently due to his involvement with and steadfast support of several controversial Louisiana laws, including the state’s near-total abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest and a law limiting youths’ possession of “sexually explicit material” within libraries, which competitors fear will focus on LGBTQ+ books.
In addition, Landry reiterated his endorsement of the death penalty while calling for increased “transparency” in the legal system.
The gay brother of the incoming Republican governor has already pushed him to change his mind about supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
Although the Republican governor claimed he was concentrating on matters like crime, Landry is also anticipated to push for additional anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
The Republican, however, has also frequently drawn Louisiana into national debates, such as those surrounding President Biden’s measures restricting oil and gas output and COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
Beginning in 2011, Jeff Landry served on Capitol Hill for two years, representing Louisiana’s third U.S. Congressional District. Before entering politics, Landry worked as a lawyer, police officer, and deputy sheriff for eleven years in the Louisiana Army National Guard.
Shawn Wilson, Jeff Landry’s Competitor
Despite Shawn Wilson having unified Democratic support, Jeff Landry outperformed the broad field, including Shawn Wilson, the state’s previous transportation secretary, who came in second.
With 52% of the vote, he was able to skip the general election on November 18 and avoid running. With 26%, Wilson came in second. Everyone else received less than 6%.
At his election-night speech in New Orleans, Wilson announced his defeat, telling the press gathering that while they could disagree with everything Jeff Landry wants to accomplish as governor, he believes he is trying to do the right thing and that it is their responsibility as Louisianans to ensure that happens.
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