Now that the midterms are over, it’s time to start looking forward to the next election.
That means race for the top job in Louisiana, Governor.
We’ve already seen an opening act with the Republican Party endorsing Attorney General Jeff Landry for the job.
WWL talked with Jeremy Alford, editor of La Politics, about the race and some of the other Republican notables who also have their eye on the Governor’s office.
“John Kennedy is one, Garrett Graves is another and that question is ‘what’s next for you?’ That answer for both may very well include the Governor’s race or it may not include the Governor’s race. If I had to guess, I think both of these polished politicians are going to drag out their answer.”
When asked if we should anticipate several candidates to jump into the race, Alford responded:
“You’ve got at least a dozen different people who are all pondering an announcement right now. There are undeclared candidates, there are potential contenders, but it’s a huge list and with each passing day they fall a little bit behind Jeff Landry in money and endorsement.”
Another question we asked is about the congressional future of Congressman Steve Scalise should the House of Representatives turn to the Republicans.
“Steve Scalise is expected to become the majority leader in roughly a week when leadership positions are held on Capitol Hill. This will be the first time in 50-years that Louisiana has had someone as Majority Leader, the second highest position in the house. The last one was held by Hale Boggs who died in 1972.”
Finally, his name hangs in the air like fog, but it is a strong rallying banner. Should Donald Trump run for president again, will the state of Louisiana support him? Alford pointed to a recent endorsement by Donald Trump, Jr. as a sign of the former president’s political power.
“This most recent endorsement of Attorney General Jeff Landry has the support of Donald Trump, Jr. who came down for a fund raiser recently that generated a lot of media coverage.”
It’s no doubt the Trump name carries a lot of weight in Louisiana still and will be a bellwether state should the former President decide to give it another run for chief executive.
