BROUSSARD, La. — Louisiana voters spent the day casting ballots in a wide range of state and local elections. In the race for governor, Republicans are hoping to reclaim the state’s highest office after 8 years of Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards.
The current state attorney general Jeff Landry has led in the polls from start to finish. But the only poll that counts is when the votes are counted on election day.
Landry is holding his election watch party at the Ballroom in Broussard, a suburb of Lafayette where he lives with his wife and son.
Saturday, he spent the day with his family just after coming off a 72-hour tour of Louisiana.
We are told he made some phone calls, did some sign shaking and attended 5 o’clock mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Broussard.
Landry is going to be watching the returns from his home.
Then make his way to the Ballroom to talk with his supporters once the race is called.
Landry was the early pick of the state Republican party, tying up many of the endorsements and campaign contributions from GOP mega-donors.
Something that did not sit too well with Landry’s Republican opponents.
Landry has been described as a hardline conservative.
Here’s where he stands on the issues:
According to our partners at the Times Picayune, New Orleans Advocate when it comes to crime, Landry wants increase police pay, get tough on district attorneys, and jail more offenders.
On education Landry wants to expand vocational training, limit children’s access to books about gender and sex and ban the use of alterative pronouns at schools.
On the economy, he pledged to lower taxes and cut state regulations on small businesses.
When it comes to the environment, Landry says carbon-lowering efforts kill jobs and raise energy prices. He supports more offshore oil and gas exploration.
To solve the state insurance crisis Landry is suing FEMA to lower rates and he wants to potentially expand insurance incentives.
And on healthcare, he supports the state’s near-total ban on abortion. And he supports Medicaid expansion after suing to overturn it in 2020.
Landry graduated from The University of Louisiana Lafayette and Loyola Law School.
He is a former sheriff’s deputy and police officer. He also served more than a decade in the Louisiana National Guard.
Before becoming attorney general, Landry was an attorney and small business owner based in New Iberia.
There are six major candidates in the governor’s race, four Republicans, one Democrat and one independent. There are a total of 14 candidates in the race.
If no candidate tops 50% of the votes, the top two vote getters will advance to a runoff election on November 18.
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