Qualifying for the 2023 Louisiana governor’s race happens one year from today and we still do not have any announced candidates to replace the term-limited John Bel Edwards. ULM political science professor Joshua Stockley says a lot will depend on who controls the U.S. Senate after the federal midterm elections. He says after the national picture is clear Louisiana’s race will finally develop
“I would expect announcements to occur very quickly. And that’s going to be because whoever announces first kind of gains a little bit of a fundraising advantage,” Stockley said.
U.S. Senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, along with statewide elected officials Jeff Landry, Billy Nungesser and John Schroder have been rumored to run.
If Republicans take control of the senate Stockley thinks it’s more likely Cassidy and Kennedy stay there, opening the door for Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and Attorney General Jeff Landry. Stockley says the lack of a prominent Democratic candidate is a bad sign for Democrats.
“I think the lack of noise among Democrats with such unknown in the Republican field is a testament to the weak state of the party right now,” Stockley says.
He adds that with so many unknowns affecting the governor’s race it might be quite a while before we know who the major contenders will be.
“We could see nine significant candidates in August, we could see only one significant candidate in August. It’s really hard to know,” Stockley said.
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