“We’ve listened to the legislators. We’ve listened to policy. We’ve implemented it in a way that is consistent with the standards of government, knowing what the bureaucracy requires of us. And that's what I would bring to the governor’s office,” Democrat Shawn Wilson told WWL’s Newell Normand this week.
Wilson is one of a pool of candidates vying to be the next governor of Louisiana. Current Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards has reached term limits and will not be running in the November election.
Wilson, a resident of Lafayette, has 25 years of experience in state government. He served as Louisiana’s Secretary of Transportation and Development, from 2016 until this March 2023, according to his campaign website.
“Shawn transformed the agency to be more collaborative and efficient at leveraging resources and delivering services – resulting in groundbreakings on decades old improvements and multimodal infrastructure,” it said.
There is an August deadline to file for candidacy in the gubernatorial election, which includes an October primary followed by the November race. Wilson is running against Republicans Stephen Waguespack, Sharon Hewitt, Xan John, Attorney General Jeff Landry, Richard Nelson and John Schroder as well as independent Hunter Lundy and Democrat Daniel Cole, according to Ballotpedia.
Additionally, Wilson is a ministry leader and is involved with several non-profit organizations. As he eyes the governor seat, Wilson has a few key issues on his mind.
“You’re going to hear things like ‘crime is top of mind for a lot of folks,’” he said. “That is probably the one thing that’s most consistent, regardless of the demographic, regardless of the region of the state. People just have a sense of intimidation and frustration with crime and they’re looking for solutions. And so, we talk a lot about that.”
Wilson is also planning to address pay raises for Louisiana teachers, women’s rights and infrastructure.
“People are wanting to see things get built and they want to see an opportunity to get a job,” he said.
Listen to Wilson’s full conversation with Normand here.
Related
