{"id":2058358,"date":"2023-10-06T17:43:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T21:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/louisianas-gubernatorial-primary-coming-down-to-a-race-for-second-place\/"},"modified":"2023-10-06T17:43:01","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T21:43:01","slug":"louisianas-gubernatorial-primary-coming-down-to-a-race-for-second-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/louisianas-gubernatorial-primary-coming-down-to-a-race-for-second-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Louisiana\u2019s Gubernatorial Primary Coming Down to a Race for Second Place"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flouisianas-gubernatorial-primary-coming-down-to-a-race-for-second-place%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2058358&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Early voting has been underway since Sept. 30 in Louisiana\u2019s Oct. 14 primaries for state legislature, attorney general, secretary of state, and governor in \u201coff-year\u201d elections being watched nationwide for possible portends of 2024 trends.<\/p>\n<p>Under the Bayou State\u2019s \u201cjungle primary\u201d system, where all contenders are on the same ballot, discernible undertows in voter sentiment could surface quickly and decisively.<\/p>\n<p>Candidates who garner 50 percent or more of the primary tally win, game over.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\"><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/louisiana-ag-jeff-landry-hails-ruling-in-govt-big-tech-censorship-case-as-independence-day-triumph-5374554?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Louisiana AG Jeff Landry Hails Ruling in Government\u2013Big Tech Censorship Case as Independence Day Triumph<\/h3>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">7\/5\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/louisiana-ag-jeff-landry-hails-ruling-in-govt-big-tech-censorship-case-as-independence-day-triumph-5374554?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/major-blow-to-biden-admin-and-federal-agencies-in-free-speech-case-judge-blocks-communication-with-big-tech-louisiana-ag-jeff-landry-5374352?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Major Blow to Biden Admin and Federal Agencies in Free Speech Case, Judge Blocks Communication With Big Tech: Louisiana AG Jeff Landry | ATL:NOW<\/h3>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">7\/4\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/major-blow-to-biden-admin-and-federal-agencies-in-free-speech-case-judge-blocks-communication-with-big-tech-louisiana-ag-jeff-landry-5374352?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><\/div>\n<p>Otherwise, the top two vote-getters move on to a Nov. 18 general election runoff.<\/p>\n<p>The most-watched Louisiana race is for governor where 14 candidates\u2014seven Republicans, five independents, two Democrats\u2014seek to succeed term-limited Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards.<\/p>\n<p>Despite participating in only one of four gubernatorial candidate debates, Louisiana two-term Attorney General Jeff Landry appears to have a lock on at least a runoff berth. With some polls indicating his support at or above 50 percent, the big Oct. 14 question is if there will be a Nov. 18 runoff.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\"><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt is unlikely but possible\u201d Mr. Landry could win the gubernatorial race in the Saturday primary vote, Pelican Institute for Public Policy Chief Executive Officer Daniel J. Erspamer told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>The six other Republicans in the race\u2014including two-term state Sen. Sharon Hewitt (R-Slidell), State Treasurer John Schroder, and Louisiana Association of Business and Industry president Stephen Waguespack\u2014have rarely topped single digits in polls despite several being well-known.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Former Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development secretary and Democrat gubernatorial contender Shawn Wilson (L) greets a voter after a recent campaign stump in Lafayette, Louisiana. (Shawn Wilson For Governor)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>That trio and independent Lake Charles attorney Hunter Lundy are vying for a \u201csecond place\u201d Oct. 14 finish to get into a November face-off with Mr. Landry.<\/p>\n<p>That is also unlikely, Mr. Erspamer said. With only two Democrats on the ballot and the lion\u2019s share of those votes expected to go to Shawn Wilson, a former Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development secretary, he is favored to finish second.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\u201cIt will most likely be a runoff between Landry and Wilson,\u201d he said, with Mr. Landry the favorite to win as part of a broader Republican surge.  <\/p>\n<h2>State Election With National Impact<\/h2>\n<p>  Louisiana\u2019s elections are significant nationwide because, \u201cjust from a political perspective, it is highly likely this will be a flip.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;The state has been led by a Democrat for eight years, so it is headed for significant change,\u201d Mr. Erspamer said. \u201cAlmost certainly, the Senate will be a [GOP] supermajority and the House will have a one-vote margin to stay a simple majority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Louisiana is key in Congressional energy debates with the nation\u2019s most active natural gas fields and offshore drilling, he said, meaning its 2023 elections could serve as momentum-builders in directing where discussions go in 2024 and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>These factors illustrate \u201cthe kind of impact Louisiana has on the rest of the country,\u201d Mr. Erspamer said, with crime, \u201cfiscal health,\u201d and tax reform among top issues in the race certain to drive 2024 campaigns countrywide.<\/p>\n<p>But two issues unique to Louisiana have emerged as campaign issues, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Like other Gulf States, especially Florida, the state is dealing with a property insurance crisis but, unlike Florida, it is plagued by \u201cout-migration.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:1200px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>President Joe Biden, onboard Marine One, inspects the damage from Hurricane Ida on an aerial tour of communities in Laffite, Grand Isle, Port Fourchon, and Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, on Sept. 3, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mr. Erspamer said after speaking with people in 20 parishes recently, he\u2019s learned \u201cthe overarching issue, the big theme I hear from voters is, we\u2019re the third-highest \u2018out-migration\u2019 state in the country per capita.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;More people are leaving here than any other state but California and Illinois to find work and opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Louisianans want \u201csignificant transformational policies that can turn that tide,\u201d he said, noting this \u201cover-arching issue\u201d is prompting a range of candidate initiatives, especially in education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery candidate has made education a top three issue. There\u2019s a lot of discussion from Republicans and independents about school choice, parental rights, ESAs [Education Savings Accounts],\u201d Mr. Erspamer said. \u201cLots of discussion about recruiting teachers, literacy, especially early literacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Like many states, Louisiana has a post-COVID \u201crecord\u201d budget surplus, making its 2023 elections a referendum on \u201cwhat should be done with that money,\u201d he said. \u201cMost, not all, are talking about tax reform.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">Should there be a November Landry-Wilson runoff, the fact that Mr. Landry is open to phasing out the state\u2019s personal income tax\u2014although less effusively than others\u2014and Mr. Wilson is not, could be a difference-maker.  <\/p>\n<h2>Property Insurance an &#8216;Urgent Issue&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>  But first things first. The state\u2019s property insurance crisis is emerging as \u201can urgent, near-term policy issue\u201d in the primaries, Mr. Erspamer said.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>About a dozen property insurers have left Louisiana since hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta in 2020 and Ida in 2021. About 100,000 homeowners\u2014triple 2018\u2019s enrollment\u2014have been forced to secure policies through Louisiana\u2019s Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-backed \u201cinsurer of last resort,\u201d potentially putting taxpayers on the hook for storm damage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHomeowners and businesses are receiving their renewals right about now and the rates are going through the roof,\u201d Mr. Erspamer said.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Tim Temple will succeed longtime Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon in January after his only opponent, Democrat Rich Weaver, withdrew in August.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people are looking at Tim to take the lead in crafting a reform package. There\u2019s some discussion of a special session after [legislators] are sworn in,\u201d Mr. Erspamer said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow they deal with it, we\u2019ll see. I suspect they will do some reforms through regulatory action but the legislature certainly wants a bite\u201d as will the new governor.<\/p>\n<p>The Louisiana election is one of three 2023 gubernatorial contests after 36 governor elections in 2022. There are 26 Republican and 24 Democrat governors.<\/p>\n<p>In Kentucky, a Republican attorney general is challenging a Democrat incumbent. Gov. Andy Beshear faces a stiff challenge from Attorney General Daniel Cameron.<\/p>\n<p>In Mississippi, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is favored to win a second term.<\/p>\n<p>Louisiana is one of four states with 2023 legislature elections. Republicans in Louisiana and Mississippi, and Democrats in New Jersey, are expected to retain if not grow majorities.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Virginia\u2019s Nov. 7 election could see the GOP wrest control of the purple state\u2019s General Assembly in this fall\u2019s most-watched election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Early voting has been underway since Sept. 30 in Louisiana\u2019s Oct. 14 primaries for state legislature, attorney general, secretary of state, and governor in \u201coff-year\u201d elections being watched nationwide for possible portends of 2024 trends.Under the Bayou State\u2019s \u201cjungle primary\u201d system, where all contenders are on the same ballot, discernible undertows in voter sentiment could<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":509,"featured_media":2058359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2058358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2058358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2058358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2058358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2058359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2058358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2058358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2058358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}