Nine candidates are running in the all-party primary in the open-seat election for governor of Louisiana on Oct. 14. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D)—who was first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019—is term-limited. Jeff Landry (R), Hunter Lundy (I), John Schroder (R), and Shawn Wilson (D) have the most campaign receipts and media attention.
Louisiana conducts its elections using a majority-vote system. All candidates appear on the same ballot in the primary, and a candidate can win outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does that, the top two vote recipients—regardless of party—advance to the general election. This year’s general election will take place on Nov. 18.
Landry is the state’s attorney general and was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. He also served in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2013 and worked in law enforcement and oil and gas exploration. He was endorsed by former President Donald Trump (R) on May 8 and said in a campaign ad that his top priority would be reducing crime: “Crime was the number one issue on the voters’ minds here in Louisiana. I don’t need any more statistics other than that. That’s real people seeing real things and having real crime affect them.”
