With less than two weeks to go until Election Day on October 14th, we are entering the final phase of Louisiana’s unique open primary. Our candidates have suffered long and hard these many months, but the next several days will be critical. This is no time to rest, and the same can be said for the campaign staffs, their consultants and volunteers, as well as our party activists.
So you are exhausted and may need some motivation, eh? Well, I have a few brief words to write which may perk you up. Basically, I want to briefly remind everyone of what we’ve endured for almost eight years under the failed administration of John Bel Edwards, and why conservatives must win these upcoming races.
To begin, remember all the bitter, hard-fought special sessions? Not counting the legally required eight regular sessions and granting John Bel Edwards the two organizational sessions held at the beginning of each term, Louisiana’s divided government required no less than fifteen special sessions, three of which were veto sessions. Fun, huh? That must be some sort of record, and not one we ever want to beat. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when you have a Republican-led legislature and a governor who campaigned as a moderate Democrat (remember all those campaign promises in 2015), and then governed as a lefty.
And what about all the bad bills which did pass, and the good government and common-sense bills that John Bel and his Democrat minions defeated or vetoed during those twenty-three regular and special sessions (not counting the three veto sessions)? Well, the cost of governing Louisiana doubled, which means that we are now living on borrowed time. Our infrastructure and schools are still a mess, and when the federal government cuts back on those subsidies, which it eventually will, the state will go broke instantly. Come to think of it, that’s probably what the Democrats always wanted to happen anyway.
Too bad about conservative attempts to control spending, or clean up the welfare rolls, or prevent vaccine mandates and school closures, or audit the voter rolls and implement a host of other measures designed to protect the integrity of our elections. Never forget that we had to convene historic veto-override sessions just to keep biological males from taking over women’s sports, and to prevent the medically-sanctioned mutilation of vulnerable minor children claiming to suffer with gender dysphoria.
There were dozens more vetoes of good bills by John Bel that weren’t overturned, and hundreds of good bills which were defeated or never even filed, but all that can be fixed in the next administration. That is ultimately what we are fighting for in this election, and that is why we need to redouble our efforts in these last few days. Because we have already wasted almost eight years, we don’t have much time remaining to straighten things out- our fellow citizens are leaving Louisiana in droves and our businesses are departing or shutting down, thereby further eroding our already inadequate tax base.
It’s time to pull the lever for the one proven candidate with the will, the guts, and the energy to turn Louisiana around. That person is Jeff Landry, the only gubernatorial candidate endorsed by the Republican Party of Louisiana. Every poll since the beginning of this race has shown him to be far in the lead, with the support of more voters than all other conservatives and independents combined!
It is high time for Republicans, independents, and the remaining sane Democrats to rally around our candidate, Jeff Landry. There’s even a good possibility that he could win this election in the open primary on October 14th, and avoid the runoff on November 18th. That would allow him to begin the transition process over a month earlier, and to use the time to help elect other conservative candidates.
A brighter future for Louisiana is just around the corner, but only if we get out to vote and unite behind Jeff and our other conservative candidates, starting with early voting which has already begun.
Louis Gurvich, Chairman
Republican Party of Louisiana
