AG Jeff Landry announces run for governor

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - In a little more than a year, voters will head to the polls to decide who will be the next governor of Louisiana but the race officially kicked off on Wednesday, Oct. 5, with Attorney General Jeff Landry making his official announcement.

Gov. John Bel Edwards kept it short and sweet when asked if he will be supporting the AG in his run for governor.

Landry kicked off his 2023 campaign for governor with a seven-minute video outlying his vision for the state.

“I’m tired of people leaving our state, and I’m angry that our children’s education is not a priority,” said Landry.

CLICK HERE to watch the full announcement.

Other potential Republican candidates, like Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and Treasurer John Schroder have flirted with the idea of running but still have not officially made a decision. And Landry is using that opportunity to be the first to paint himself as the law-and-order candidate.

“Louisiana was once defined by our great cities. They were the gems of the South, the cornerstone of our state. Sadly today, crime has taken hold. Incompetent mayors and woke district attorneys are playing a dangerous game of catch and release,” continued Landry in the ad.

Political analyst Jim Engster said this makes sense for someone with a background in the military, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system.

“Crime is a big issue and Jeff Landry has some background in that area,” explained Engster. “He’s going to make crime an issue, he’s a conservative guy and I’m sure his message would be lock ‘em up and throw away the key and that may resonate with the voters. And crime has to be one of the top two or three issues as we look ahead in 2023.”

Engster added even if all the potential GOP candidates decided to run, it would be a hard fight for all of them, especially given one crucial thing Landry has that the others don’t.

“I think it’s going to be hard to get to the right of Jeff Landry. And that may or may not be a good thing, but he does, it appears, have the support of Donald Trump. And Donald Trump in our state has gotten more votes than any candidate in the history of Louisiana...twice,” noted Engster.

So, as we wait for others to enter the race, so far zero Democrats have even hinted at the idea of running. Another potential GOP candidate worth mentioning is Sen. Bill Cassidy, who would have a much easier time getting some Democrat votes. If he jumps in, it’ll make for an interesting race.

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