Starting in January, the Republican Party will control all elected officials in the state of Louisiana, after the Republicans won three runoff votes on Saturday for attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.
The party captured all statewide offices for the first time since 2015, in a state that had a Democratic governor for the past eight years. Additionally, Republicans have a two-thirds supermajority in both Louisiana chambers.
Liz Murrill won the vote for attorney general, Nancy Landry for secretary of state — the first women elected to those positions in the state — and John Fleming for treasurer.
Saturday’s election completed the formation of Louisiana’s executive, where most incumbents did not run for re-election and opened the door to leadership changes in some of the most powerful positions.
The gubernatorial election was decided in October when Jeff Landry, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump, won in the first round. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain were re-elected, while Tim Temple was elected insurance commissioner. They are all Republicans.
Despite the low initial turnout, Saturday’s vote attracted the attention of Trump, who endorsed the Republican candidates in all three positions.
Murrill will succeed his boss, Jeff Landry, when he becomes governor in January. Murrill’s rival was Lindsey Cheek, a New Orleans trial lawyer.
The attorney general represents the state in various legal disputes. However, Landry frequently made headlines on state and national issues, for example by supporting laws that banned gender-confirming medical care for transgender youth and a near-total ban on abortion with no exceptions for cases of rape and incest.
Murril joined Landry in defending conservative causes, such as a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s administration over its COVID-19 vaccination mandate for federal contractors.
Trump gained a major ally in the state treasury, John Fleming, a former congressman who co-founded the Freedom Caucus of conservative lawmakers in the House of Representatives. After his time as a congressman, he served in the Trump administration. On Saturday, he won against Dustin Granger, a Democrat from Lake Charles who works as a financial advisor.
Nancy Landry, who is not related to the governor-elect, defeated Gwen Collins-Greenup, a Democrat, in the race for secretary of state.
The Republican will take on the task of replacing the state’s outdated voting machines, which do not print the paper ballots crucial to ensuring reliable election results.
The long and already underway replacement process became national news after accusations of election rigging and when conspiracy theorists, who support Trump’s lies that the 2020 elections were fraudulent, intervened in the debate.
Four proposals for amendments to the constitution were also voted on Saturday, such as one to offer additional tax exemptions to emergency workers and which was approved. Several local officials, school board officials, and 20 state legislators were also elected.
