OAN’s Brooke Mallory
12:37 PM – Sunday, October 15, 2023
In the Louisiana governor’s race, Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry, who has been supported by former President Donald Trump in the past, prevailed over a large field of rivals.
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As the GOP retakes the gubernatorial house for the first time in eight years, the result represents a significant success for the party.
John Bel Edwards, the incumbent governor, will be replaced by Landry. Edwards was barred from running for reelection due to consecutive term limits.
“Today’s election says that our state is united,” Landry said during his victory speech on Saturday night. “It’s a wake-up call, and it’s a message that everyone should hear loud and clear, that we the people in this state, are going to expect more out of our government from here on out.”
Landry avoided a runoff by receiving more than 50% of the vote, as required by the state’s “jungle primary” system. Republican Bobby Jindal won the state’s gubernatorial office in 2011 and 2007.
The newly elected governor called the victory “historic” as he celebrated with supporters during a watch party in Broussard, Louisiana.
Since entering office in 2016, Landry, 52, has raised the profile of an attorney general. He has also promoted conservative policy stances while in government.
Landry also gained even 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 restricting youths’ access to “sexually explicit material” in libraries, which progressive opponents claim will “target LGBTQ+ books.”
Landry and Edwards have frequently disagreed on issues pertaining to the state, including LGBTQ+ “rights,” the state budget, and the death sentence.
However, the Republican official has also frequently drawn Louisiana into national conflicts, such as those involving Joe Biden’s measures to restrict the extraction of oil and gas and COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
Beginning in 2011, Landry served on Capitol Hill for two years while representing Louisiana’s third U.S. congressional district. Prior to entering politics, Landry worked as a municipal police officer, sheriff’s deputy, and attorney, in addition to his 11 years of service in the Louisiana Army National Guard.
As governor, Landry has made it clear that combating crime in cities would be one of his major goals.
Landry has promoted a tough-on-crime stance, advocating for increased “transparency” in the legal system and maintaining support for the death penalty. Louisiana reportedly has the second-highest per-capita murder rate in the country.
In interviews and on social media throughout the campaign, Landry’s opponents called him a “bully” and even accused him of engaging in backroom negotiations to get support.
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