BATON ROUGE, La. — The high-stakes contest for governor is heating up in Baton Rouge as candidates for Louisiana’s highest office begin to qualify.
Tuesday, Lake Charles attorney Hunter Lundy was the first governor candidate to sign up at the state archives building. He’s running as a political independent. Lundy says he would push for the continuation of the .45 percent temporary state sales tax.
“We’re going to renew it and we’re going to use the money to pay for teachers that we promised them and didn’t keep the promise,” Lundy said. “We’re going to pay policemen. We’re going to pay firemen.”
State Treasurer John Schroder also qualified to run. The former Republican state lawmaker from Covington says he’s running improve people’s faith in state government.
“I’m talking about a culture of corruption and political insiders who live off the system,” Schroder said. “Those who are there and tell you what is best for our state while they’re lining their own pockets.”
Former state Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson, a democrat from New Orleans was the third governor candidate to qualify. Wilson said throughout his career, he has literally been a bridge builder, not a bridge burner. Something he promised to continue in the Governor’s Mansion.
“We have to get past the political partisanship and start to build a system and a state and economy and recognize that some of those ideological fights are the things that continue to drag us down in the market,” Wilson said.
While this was day one of the official campaign, most of the candidates have already spent months crossing the Bayou State asking for your vote. “I’ve worked on all sides of the aisle to get things done for Louisiana in democratic as well as republican administrations,” Wilson said.
“Yes, I’m going to promote the raising of the minimum wage,” Lundy said.
“We will treat a penny like a dollar, and it will be about you and us and we and never about me,” Schroder said.
There will likely be at least seven major candidates in the governor’s race, five republicans, one democrat and one independent.
We’re told Sharon Hewitt – Jeff Landry – Richard Nelson and Steve Waguespack will likely qualify later this week.
Other governor candidates who qualified today include republicans Patrick Henry 'Dat' Barthel, “Xan” John, Xavier Ellis and Oscar 'Omar' Dantzler a democrat from Tangipahoa Parish.
Qualifying continues through Thursday.
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