Two former candidates for governor, Eddie Rispone and Ralph Abraham are urging fellow republicans to support Jeff Landry’s campaign for governor in 2023; a move that is irking other republicans considering entering the race. LSU-Shreveport political science professor Jeff Sadow says it’s certainly a divisive political move on Rispone’s part.
“It’s a consequence of having a blanket primary system instead of a regular genuine primary system like you see in every other state,” said Sadow.
Rispone told GOP activists this week he’s supporting the Attorney General, and he wants fellow republicans to break tradition and get behind one candidate – his candidate – ahead of the 2023 general election. Sadow says the intent is to avoid another in-party battle, like Rispone and Abraham got into in 2019.
“There are consequences to something like that having more one than full blown campaign going at each other and that’s what’s going to happen, candidates are going to go at each other, because like it or not that’s what’s going to win votes,” said Sadow.
But Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, a likely gubernatorial candidate, told the Advocate newspaper, this is not the way the Republican Party is supposed to work. He says the party should not be controlled by a few people.
Rispone feels the state needs to move to party primaries like in most other states.
The primary for the 2023 governor’s race is next October.
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