The midterm elections are still five weeks away, but the 2023 Louisiana governor’s race is already heating up.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican, launched his campaign to run for governor of the Bayou State on Wednesday, becoming the first major candidate to enter the race to succeed Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is term-limited out of the 2023 election.
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“We have a crisis of leadership & lack of priorities in Louisiana. It’s causing people to move away from our state, rather than to our state. Unacceptable! Ends now! WE are running for Governor to fix the problems created by failed leaders,” Landry proclaimed on Twitter.
We have a crisis of leadership & lack of priorities in Louisiana. It’s causing people to move away from our state, rather than to our state. Unacceptable! Ends now!
WE are running for Governor to fix the problems created by failed leaders.
Join Us >> https://t.co/8iXhEchGEf pic.twitter.com/ngd1qAk5rU
— Jeff Landry (@JeffLandry) October 5, 2022
In his campaign video, Landry harped on the state’s dirty laundry, rattling off a litany of issues ranging from rampant crime to “radical” schooling he feels has dogged the state. Landry also touted his modest upbringing, recalling his work in sugarcane fields and the National Guard, before ascending to Congress.
“This election is not about me,” he explained in the video. “It’s about you. I cannot do this alone. We must join together to build the Louisiana we want, the one we need, and the one we deserve. The time for excuses is over. Ask any champion and they’ll tell you: You have to be willing to do the things that are hard to achieve [for] that which you love.”
Throughout his tenure as attorney general, Landry frequently vexed Edwards, joining or filing lawsuits against him and President Joe Biden, according to the Daily Advertiser. He has frequently flexed his MAGA bona fides, brandishing a political brand that channels similar energy to former President Donald Trump.
Landry represented the state’s 3rd Congressional District from 2011 to 2013, after he lost to Republican Charles Boustany in a newly crafted district. He rose to attorney general after edging out Republican Attorney General Buddy Caldwell in 2015.
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So far, at least two other prominent state Republicans, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and Treasurer John Schroder, have declared their intent to run but have not officially commenced a campaign, according to the Daily Advertiser.
