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May 16, 2023

Clancy DuBos: Gloves come off early in the governor's race

The Oct. 14 gubernatorial primary is more than four months away, but already the

The Oct. 14 gubernatorial primary is more than four months away, but already the gloves are off in the contest for Louisiana's biggest political prize.

Attorney General Jeff Landry and former top business lobbyist Stephen Waguespack, both Republicans, are under attack.

Reboot Louisiana, a super PAC supporting Waguespack, fired the first shot by attacking Landry's crimefighting chops. Landry, the consistent early frontrunner, has already locked up the state GOP's endorsement and that of former President Donald Trump.

Protect Louisiana's Children, a third-party group supporting Landry, fired back at Waguespack within days in an ad blaming Waguespack for unpopular budget cuts and economic declines under former Gov. Bobby Jindal, for whom Waguespack worked as chief of staff late in his first term.

The Reboot ad attacking Landry, which first aired May 31, begins with the sound of a gunshot and shaky video of Landry. A female announcer says, "As Louisiana's top law enforcement official, Jeff Landry has failed us. Murder. Rape. Carjackings. Under Landry's watch, Louisiana is now the most dangerous state in America."

The Waguespack supporters who funded the Reboot ad apparently fear Landry's early lead could become insurmountable. By attacking the AG now, four-and-a-half months before the primary, they no doubt hope to peel off some of Landry's support — and force his third-party backers to start spending some of their considerable campaign loot.

I don't know about the first part of that plan, but the second part worked PDQ. Days after the Reboot ad first aired, Protect Louisiana's Children responded with an ad accusing Waguespack of wrecking Louisiana's economy and gutting "essential services" when he worked for Jindal.

"We’re still recovering from the last time Stephen Waguespack ran Louisiana into the ground," the ad concludes, calling Waguespack "a mistake we can't make twice."

In another interesting twist, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams — citing a Landry ad that Williams called "racist" — hinted on May 31 that he, too, might run for governor. A day later, Williams issued a statement that neither confirmed nor denied talk of his potential candidacy — but it did lob several grenades at Landry.

Williams, a Democrat, said in the statement that Landry has done nothing to address the state's rising crime rate since taking office more than seven years ago.

Williams’ criticism followed Landry's tri-city ad campaign citing violent crime in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport. The ads in New Orleans and Shreveport showed the local DAs — both Black Democrats — while the one airing in Baton Rouge did not show the White face of DA Hillar Moore.

For now, former state Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson is the only announced Democrat and the only major Black candidate for governor. If Williams enters the fray, he could upend both Wilson's and Landry's ambitions — by blocking Wilson's path to the runoff and thereby depriving Landry of his preferred runoff opponent.

Either way, Williams plans to be the wild card in this race — and a thorn in Landry's side.

Clancy DuBos is the political editor and columnist for Gambit in New Orleans. Email him at [email protected].