Atty. General Jeff Landry, a Republican backed by former President Trump, has won the Louisiana governor’s race, a major victory for the Republican Party as they regain the seat for the first time in eight years.

Landry wants to replace the current governor. John Bel Edwards, who could not stand for re-election due to consecutive terms. Edwards is the only Democratic governor in the Deep South.

The election “says our state is united,” Landry said during his victory speech Saturday evening. It’s a wake-up call and it’s a message that everyone needs to hear loud and clear, that we, the people of this state, will expect more. of our government from now on.

By collecting more than half the votes, Landry avoided an expected runoff under the state’s jungle primary system. The last time there was no gubernatorial run in Louisiana was in 2011 and 2007, when Bobby Jindal, a Republican, won the state’s top ticket. position.

The governor-elect, who celebrated with his supporters at a watch party in Broussard, La., described the election as historic.

Landry, 52, has raised the profile of attorney general since taking office in 2016. He has used his office to defend conservative policy positions. More recently, Landry has been in the spotlight for his involvement and staunch support of Louisiana laws that have sparked much debate, including banning certain medical care for transgender youth, the state’s near-total abortion ban that has no exceptions for cases of rape . and incest, and a law restricting young people’s access to sexually explicit material in libraries, which opponents fear will target LGBTQ+ books.

Landry has clashed repeatedly with Edwards on issues in the state, including LGBTQ rights, state finances and the death penalty. However, the Republican has also repeatedly drawn Louisiana into national battles, including over the president

Joe

Biden’s policies limiting oil and gas production and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Landry spent two years on Capitol Hill beginning in 2011, representing Louisiana’s Third U.S. Congressional District.

Before Before

During his political career, Landry served in the Louisiana Army National Guard for eleven years

local

police officer, sheriff’s deputy and lawyer.

During the gubernatorial election season, Landry was long considered the early front-runner, receiving support from high-profile Republicans Trump and U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise and a controversial early endorsement from the state GOP. Additionally, Landry has had a significant fundraising advantage over the rest of the field during the race.

Landry has made it clear that one of his top priorities as governor would be tackling crime in urban areas. The Republican has adopted a tough-on-crime rhetoric, calling for more transparency in the justice system and continuing to support the death penalty. Louisiana has the second highest homicide rate per capita in the country.

On the campaign trail, Landry faced political attacks from opponents on social media and in interviews, calling him a bully and making accusations of backroom deals to gain support. He also came under scrutiny for skipping all but one of the major televised debates.