Saturday, November 18, 2023, was a historic day for Republicans and conservatives throughout the state. How historic was it? Well, that is ultimately a question for historians to answer many decades hence, but my guess is that folks will still be talking about this election in fifty years’ time.
Congratulations and heartfelt thanks are due all around, but it is hard to know where to begin- our wins were many, our defeats few. Going into the run-off, I expected we would do well, but I never imagined the magnitude of our victories. Our statewide officials who were not elected or unopposed in the primary, all received over sixty-five percent of the vote in the run-off! For only the second time in modern Louisiana history, all statewide elected officials will be Republican as of Inauguration Day, January 8, 2024.
In the Louisiana Senate, we picked up one seat and will have a twenty-eight to eleven Republican majority (71.8%). In the Louisiana House, we picked up two seats and will have a seventy-three to thirty-two Republican majority (69.5%). My read on the Republican legislators as a whole is not only that there will be more of them, but as a group they will be significantly more conservative.
Three more Republicans, in addition to the one elected on October 14th, were elected to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Don't forget that Governor Jeff Landry will get to nominate three more members to BESE, so we will have a solid conservative majority on this hugely important board.
The use of private funds in public elections (Zuckerbucks) was banned in our constitution, while the freedom to worship was recognized as a fundamental right worthy of the highest protection.
So let’s begin by thanking Jeff Landry for being a wonderful candidate for governor, whose big win in the primary (no other first-time candidate for governor has ever accomplished this feat), set the stage for our remaining statewide candidates’ successes last Saturday. Congratulations go out to our statewide run-off victors: Secretary of State-elect Nancy Landry, Attorney General-elect Liz Murrill, and Treasurer-elect John Fleming. Congratulations go out to our victorious Senators and Representatives, and to our successful parish and municipal candidates.
And I cannot forget to thank the many folks who serve the Republican Party of Louisiana, whether as members of the Republican State Central Committee or the various parish executive committees, the Louisiana Federation of Republican Women, the Pachyderm Clubs, College Republicans, etc. Last and most important of all, I wish to thank the Republican and conservative voters, without whom our victories would not have been possible.
Louis Gurvich, Chairman
Republican Party of Louisiana
