October 17, 2023
The Louisiana governorship just flipped from blue to red with Republican Jeff Landry recently winning the seat previously held by a Democrat. What’s the biggest takeaway from this election? When Republicans stay strong for life, they get rewarded. Here’s a little background on this race:
In the last Jungle primary in the Louisiana gubernational race, the Republican field of candidates collectively received 51% — but this time, the field of Republican candidates received 64%, a more than 10% bump! Could this be the first indication of a major wave in 2024?
But even bigger than the notable increase of Republican turnout in this race, Landry’s victory was the first time in 11 years that a candidate received more than 50% in Louisiana’s Jungle Primary system to avoid a run-off.
We speculate that it has to do with Landry’s defense of life.
As of August 2022, abortion has been mostly prohibited in Louisiana due to a law the former Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards signed. However, the Democrat candidate for this seat, Shawn Wilson, wanted to gut this law, making his pro-abortion stance part of his campaign. Wilson had stated, “I support going back to pre-Dobbs. I support adding exceptions (to the current ban). Clearly, we should add exceptions for rape and incest and clarify the exception that protects the life of the mother.”
In contrast, Landry didn’t backpedal on the protections of the current law. A spokesperson for his campaign made his position clear: “Jeff has always been strongly pro-life and a strong advocate for women’s healthcare. He has been consistent in his support for the pro-life laws currently on the books and he is grateful that Louisiana has led our country in protecting innocent life.”
The pro-abortion media would have you believe that such a position would be damning — instead, firmly advocating for the protection of preborn children and women seems to have done the exact opposite. Republican candidates should take note: staying strong for life can help win you the seat.
Congratulations, Landry! Students for Life Action looks forward to working with you.