And now there are four running to become governor of Louisiana

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

Mandeville GOP State Rep. Richard Nelson entered the Louisiana governor‘s race on Wednesday, January 18, becoming the fourth Republican to enter the contest, joining Slidell State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, Treasurer John Schroder, and Attorney General Jeff Landry.

It is the last GOP candidate upon whom Nelson aimed his fire, presenting himself as the candidate of “the middle.” The legislative record of Nelson’s sole term in the state House backs up this contention. In 2021, he authored a proposal to legalize and tax recreational marijuana; however, as it was a tax bill, Nelson needed 70 votes (2/3) for the measure to advance from the House. It received 47, just under a majority.

The Mandeville state representative has also sought to rid Louisiana of its state income tax, yet in a way that business groups decry. Nelson would pay for the loss of $4.6 billion in revenue by repealing existing tax exemptions and credits on business and devolving responsibilities to the parishes. Abolishing the industrial tax exemption, for example, would result in a drastic increase in tax collections at the local level – to the extent that the state could shift more of its spending to parish and city governments.

The middle lane of the gubernatorial race may get even more crowded. Last week, Congress-man Garret Graves (R-06) declined to say when asked by Louisiana Illuminator whether he’s running for Louisiana governor, despite pervasive rumors that he is getting into the race. “I don’t know,” Graves said when asked directly if he was going to run for governor. However, the rumors were so intense that Graves would challenge the Central Committee’s officially endorsed Republican candidate Jeff Landry, that Louisiana GOP Chair Louis Gurvich openly attacked Graves, stating that his bid for governor would undermine the new U.S. House GOP majority, narrow as it is. Landry also has the endorsement of Donald Trump Jr. and paints himself as the standard bearer of the GOP Right. The Mandeville state representative and former foreign service officer in Afghanistan maintains that he runs against this perception of the Republican Party as much as he does for La. governor.

Much has been made of Nelson’s youth. The 36-year-old would be the youngest candidate in the field, though he’s four years older than Bobby Jindal was in his first attempt at the governor’s office. He believes that his moderate stances might be enough to earn a No. 2 spot in the November runoff, but that ignores whether there will be a strong Democrat running to replace John Bel Edwards, which could undermine Nelson‘s moderate support. Democrats considering a bid are East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore, state Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson, and Louisiana Democratic Party Chairperson Katie Bernhardt. One independent candidate, Lake Charles attorney Hunter Lundy, has also said he intends to enter the race.

This article originally published in the January 23, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.