EXCLUSIVE: Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican and proud Cajun from St. Martin Parish, says he has what it takes to help his state stop its population crisis, and take its place in the South as a destination for people and businesses to thrive.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Landry, who is seeking to wrest the governor’s mansion in Baton Rouge from Democrats in this year’s Louisiana gubernatorial election, said his love for the state called his family at home for more than 300 years is the main reason why he runs.
“I think Louisiana deserves a government as good as its people. I think if you go anywhere in the country, you’ll find a taste of Louisiana on any menu. But here in Louisiana, a decent job and a good education seem to elude people,” he said.
“I love the state. I love her people. I love her culture. And I think that we deserve to take our place in the South. And so after spending seven years as the attorney general working on issues that are important not only to people in Louisiana, but with many across the country, and pushing back against federal interference, we think it’s time to try to bring Louisiana to the top,” he added.
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Jeff Landry speaks at a new conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
Landry lamented how Louisiana is the worst of the two southern states with a shrinking population, Mississippi being the other, at a time when more people from across the US are choosing to move south. According to the US Census Bureau, Louisiana ranks second as the state with the largest population loss as a percentage between July 2021 and July 2022.
Beyond the state’s workforce and education issues, Landry attributed the net negative migration to the number one issue he said is on the minds of Louisianians and will be his first focus if he becomes governor: crime.
“We hold three polling places in the top 10 most dangerous cities in the country. We have three cities, a state of 4.5 million people. That means the state, population-wise, is not as big as some large metropolitan areas area, and yet we have three cities that are in the top ten most dangerous cities,” Landry said.
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He touts his seven years of experience as the state’s top law enforcement officer, as well as his time as a civilian and military police officer, arguing that no one in the career knows how to handle violent crime better. better than him.
Police vehicles block access to Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. The city saw an increase in murders in 2022. (Bryan Tarnowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Landry’s primary Democratic opponent, former Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson, received an endorsement from outgoing Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, maintaining a surprisingly higher-than-expected approval rating. approval in the traditionally Republican-leaning state despite rising crime.
Asked if he thinks that could complicate his chances of flipping the governor’s mansion red, Landry said voters can tell the “very stark difference” between a Democrat-run state and a Republican-run state.
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“When you look at other states like South Dakota, like Arkansas, like Florida, like Ohio, in Mississippi … you start to see a distinct difference between how red states perform economically and how blue states are performing economically,” he said.
He added that during his single term serving as a member of the US House of Representatives, representing the 3rd Congressional District of Louisiana from 2011 to 2013, he realized that the solution to getting the country on the right track does not lie in Washington. , DC, but rather. in the states. “I believe we fix our country when we fix our states. And I think people are starting to recognize that,” he said.
Democratic Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards speaks at the 2017 ESSENCE Festival presented by Coca-Cola at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on June 30, 2017, in New Orleans. (Josh Brasted/Getty Images)
Louisiana’s majority vote system, which pits all candidates of each party against each other in a primary to stop the final two candidates if no one reaches 50%, means the 2024 presidential primary race, expected to be full throttle in time for the October primary, may play a role in which party voters decide to turn out statewide.
Former President Trump, widely viewed as the front-runner on the Republican side and blamed by many for the GOP’s poor performance in the 2022 midterm elections, could play a larger-than-life role in driving voter turnout. from both sides should he retain his front-runner status.
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When asked about that possibility, Landry pointed to Trump’s overwhelming support from Louisiana voters in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and dismissed any notion that the presidential contest would affect the gubernatorial race.
“We’re not a swing state. Louisiana voters seem to have talked about their support for President Trump several times. Normally, presidents don’t campaign in Louisiana too much because of that. It’s really a red state. Time that for the state of Louisiana to have a red governor,” he said.
Republican Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference Texas 2022 conference at the Hilton Anatole. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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The primary is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14. A candidate can win outright in the primary if they receive 50% of the vote. If no candidate receives 50%, the top two candidates advance to the general election in November.
