Jeff Landry will be Louisiana’s next governor after beating out a crowded field of candidates in Saturday’s jungle primary, exceeding expectations and avoiding a runoff.
“This state is my family,” Landry, the state’s Republican attorney general of eight years, said to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters in Broussard. “And we are going to work to fix this state. Because you know why? Because that’s what families do.”
The Associated Press called the race around 10:15 p.m. Landry, a conservative endorsed by former President Donald Trump, had captured around 51.6% of the vote by then.
Democrat Shawn Wilson, the former transportation secretary, trailed far behind with around 25.9% of the vote.
It had been largely anticipated that the two would face off in a general election Nov. 18. But Landry managed to capture more than half the vote, even as he faced a field of more than a dozen competitors, including prominent Republican office-holders.
Landry will take office early next year, replacing Gov. John Bel Edwards, his political adversary and the only Democratic governor in the Deep South.
Wilson called Landry to congratulate him before he addressed his supporters at his party at The Westin in New Orleans. Despite the loss, he said he had no regrets.
“We are resilient people, and you have to show up every day,” Wilson said. “And while we might not understand everything that Jeff Landry wants to do as governor, I believe he wants to try to do the right thing.”
Wilson’s supporters had begun the evening optimistic for a runoff. But, after the polls closed at 8 p.m. and results flowed in, the mood grew increasingly tense, a turn well marked by an errant fire alarm in the venue.
Wilson told supporters the night might have ended differently if more people had voted.
“This was a low turnout election,” Wilson said. “It might have been different if there was another 150,000 people who had voted, I think that’s everybody’s responsibility to show up and vote. Its everybody’s responsibility to make sure our citizens vote.”
No other candidates received more than 10% of the vote. Former business lobby head Stephen Waguespack came in third with 6% of the vote, with state Treasurer John Schroder and trial lawyer Hunter Lundy both coming in at 5%.
This is a developing story; check back for more updates.
