This past weekend, Louisianans overwhelmingly selected Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry to replace two term Democrat John Bel Edwards as governor of the state and enshrined an important election integrity measure in their state’s constitution.
Landry’s primary victory is the first time since Bobby Jindal’s 2011 re-election that a Louisiana gubernatorial candidate has avoided a runoff by capturing more than 50 percent of the vote and is the first time since Jindal’s 2007 victory that a candidate for an open seat avoided a runoff. In a tweet, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel congratulated Governor-elect Landry for his “historic victory – avoiding a runoff with his resounding vote—and a flip of the governor’s office from Democrat to Republican.”
Congratulations to @JeffLandry, the next Governor of Louisiana!
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) October 15, 2023
This is a historic victory – avoiding a runoff with his resounding vote total – and a flip of the governor’s office from Democrat to Republican!
The “combative Cajun,” as the local media in Louisiana has labelled Landry, expressed that his priorities will include addressing the high crime rates in cities and making education work for the people of Louisiana. He has regularly criticized President Biden’s policies harming the people of Louisiana, such as limiting oil and gas production along the Gulf of Mexico.
In addition to electing a Republican governor, Louisianans handed over a victory for election integrity. Nearly two-thirds of voters approved an amendment to the state constitution banning the use of funds, goods or services received from private, nongovernmental entities and foreign governments to conduct elections. The measure was a response to the hundreds of millions of dollars used to promote turnout in Democratic strongholds by the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which itself was primarily funded in 2020 by Meta (then Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg. As noted by The Federalist, “the proposal’s passage makes Louisiana the 26th state to ban or restrict the use of private money in elections.”
Louisiana Joins States Banning ‘Zuckbucks,’ But Will That Be Enough To Stop Dems’ Private Election Takeover?https://t.co/MlycE39PrO
— The Federalist (@FDRLST) October 16, 2023
The people of Louisiana spoke loudly and clearly when handing Landry a decisive victory and saying no to "Zuckbucks." Republicans across the country in states like Virginia and New Jersey now have their chance to vote Republican for important positions this November, and RNLA is here to help.
Register here to attend a virtual New Jersey election law CLE this Wednesday.
Register here to attend a virtual Virginia election law CLE this Wednesday.