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Rep. Garret Graves feeling pressure to run for Louisiana governor

Congressman Garret Graves says he just wants what's best for Louisiana.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Congressman Garret Graves is the latest Republican to consider running for Governor of Louisiana.

With four major Republicans vying for the position, Graves told our partners at WBRZ he is feeling pressure to run.

“I have had many folks across the state that has been pushing us to run. We have met with many people over the last couple of days trying to think through the best decision," Graves said.

If he decides to run, he would be up against Attorney General Jeff Landry, who Graves described as a friend. Landry announced his run in October and has since raised over $5 million and was endorsed by the state GOP. State Treasurer John Schroder, Sen. Sharon Hewitt, and Rep. Richard Nelson all launched their campaigns in January.

With four major Republican candidates already making waves in the race, some worry Graves is running out of time to make an impact.

"The political reality is, every day Garret Graves waits to announce that he is running for Governor hurts him, if he is actually running for governor," Jeremy Alford, publisher of LAPolitics Weekly told WBRZ.

No matter what decision he makes, Alford says the speculation is enough to get people talking, which is a win for any candidate. He says it’s a political strategy used in many successful campaigns before.

"It's nothing new. We have seen this from the beginning of time. Politicians flirting with ideas that they may not follow through on just to be included in the conversation," Alford said. "If he is not running for governor, this is just a branding and marketing exercise," he added.

Graves says he just wants what’s best for Louisiana and is trying to figure out what the best decision is. Our partners at WBRZ asked him when he plans to announce if he is running, and he said he will let them know.

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