Donald Trump-backed Jeff Landry wins governor race in Louisiana
Jeff Landry
Republican leader Jeff Landry, who is backed by Donald Trump, won the governorship for Louisiana, overthrowing the incumbent Democrat John Bel Edwards.
The Associated Press news agency called the race which saw Landry, the state attorney general, getting 52 per cent of the vote when 95 per cent of the total votes was counted.
This is the first time in eight years that Louisiana went Red after Edwards was unable to seek another run at the office due to consecutive term limits. Edwards is the only Democratic governor in the Deep South.
The 52-year-old’s campaign was filled with conservative policy positions, including calling for a ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths, the state's near-total abortion ban that doesn't have exceptions for cases of rape and incest, and a law restricting youths' access to "sexually explicit material" in libraries, which has raised concerns over the possibility of cracking down on LGBTQ+ books.
But apart from these, Landry’s top priorities as governor would be addressing crime in urban areas, as discussed repeatedly during his campaign.
Campaign rooted in local issues
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The Republican has pushed tough-on-crime rhetoric, calling for more "transparency" in the justice system and continuing to support capital punishment. Louisiana has the nation's second-highest murder rate per capita.
Landry’s campaign was mainly focused on LGBTQ rights, state finances and the death penalty.
However, on occasions, the Republican also repeatedly raked in national issues such as President Joe Biden's policies that limit oil and gas production and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Louisiana painted red
In the run-up to Saturday’s contest, Landry’s campaign spent more than $9 million on advertisements, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact, making him easily the top spender in the race, reports Politico.
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Louisiana is one of three states electing a governor this year. In Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear is facing a challenge from Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
In Mississippi, GOP Governor Tate Reeves faces off against Democrat Brandon Presley, a member of the state Public Service Commission. Both of those contests will be held on November 7.
(With inputs from agencies)
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