by WorldTribune Staff, October 18, 2023
"The reign of the RINOs is over," the Louisiana Freedom Caucus declared after Saturday's primary vote in which Republican Jeff Landry won the governor's race without a runoff and the GOP clinched super majorities in the state House and Senate.
So far, "it’s a wipeout both of Democrats and the 'moderate' Republicans, an earthquake of such magnitude that informed observers are pointing to a brand new era of governance in Louisiana and a long-overdue end to Huey Long’s populist-socialist paradigm," Scott McKay wrote in an election analysis for The American Spectator.
So will this trend emerge as a nationwide phenomenon?
Maybe. Maybe not.
"Landry ran an utterly flawless campaign, something national Republicans are quite incapable of doing," McKay wrote. "All of which means Louisiana might finally be joining the ranks of Southern states worthy of participating in the Great Sorting, the massive immigration to red states from the leftist dystopias of California, New York, Illinois, and others."
Landry won 51.6 percent of the vote in a 15-way jungle primary which political analysts say will likely be the last statewide election using that format.
"Even uglier were the down-ballot statewide races, an indication of just how awful the Louisiana Democrat Party’s fortunes have become," McKay noted.
Democrats captured only 20 percent of the vote in the lieutenant governor race; 30 percent in the secretary of state race; 30 percent in the attorney general race; and 32 percent in the treasurer race. The last three will go to runoff elections next month.
McKay noted that, in all three cases, there is a Republican — First Assistant Secretary of State and former state Rep. Nancy Landry; former Freedom Caucus founding member and Trump White House deputy chief of staff John Fleming; and state Solicitor General Liz Murrill — with more or less impeccable conservative credentials virtually assured of a massive victory."
“Current Republican leadership of the House and Senate worked in lock-step with John Bel Edwards. Their political games have left Louisiana with serious problems. But on October 14, voters made it clear that the reign of the RINOs is over! 2024 will begin with solid conservative Jeff Landry as governor, with a supermajority of Republicans in both the House and Senate, and with a public that has grown intolerant of smoke and mirrors. New Louisiana is dawning!” said Rep. Beryl Amedée, Secretary-Treasurer of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus, who ran unopposed in District 51.
Republicans are set to have at least a 70–35 supermajority in the state House of Representatives. It could go as high as 74–31. In the Senate, 28 of 39 seats will be held by the GOP.
"There will be just one white Democrat left in the state Senate and, conceivably, only three in the House. All the other Democrats are black, and there is talk of a handful potentially switching to Republican," McKay wrote.
State Senator-elect Blake Miguez, a founding member of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus, who won his election with 61% of the vote in Senate District 22 in the primary against four opponents, said: “The outcome of this election couldn’t be any clearer: our citizens yearn for a departure from the establishment politics that have too often favored a privileged few. This shift toward conservatism highlights the public’s longing for leaders who truly prioritize their needs, pushing back against the status quo of establishment politics. The Louisiana Freedom Caucus shares my commitment to ensuring that the voices of Louisiana’s cherished citizens don’t just echo in the halls of power but drive genuine change for our beloved state.”
Miguez was also the driving force behind Amendment No. 1, which prohibits "private" money, also known as Zuckerbucks, from pouring into Louisiana elections. Previously, Democrat Gov. Edwards and his supporters in the legislature killed the amendment. This year, Miguez brought it as a constitutional amendment, which Edwards couldn’t veto, and it passed.
State Rep. Danny McCormick, also a founding member of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus, who won re-election in House District 1 with 66% of the vote, said: “The people of Louisiana have entrusted us with an opportunity to turn the tide here in our beautiful state. We have a sacred duty to honor that trust. I love the people of my district and I look forward to serving them for another four years. Let’s get it done!”
McKay added: "The cycle isn’t over, as three statewide races and 18 legislative runoffs are still on the ballot. But so far it’s a wipeout both of Democrats and the 'moderate' Republicans, an earthquake of such magnitude that informed observers are pointing to a brand new era of governance in Louisiana and a long-overdue end to Huey Long’s populist-socialist paradigm, which has persisted even as the state has turned red largely because of social issues, wherein its very religious population categorically refuses to accept the woke pieties of today’s Democrats."
