Republicans and Democrats are set to face their first electoral test ahead of the 2024 elections as voters in Louisiana head to the polls on Saturday to decide who will be their next governor.
Fox News Digital sat down with the two candidates who have emerged as the front-runners in the crowded race to replace term-limited Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards. Republicans hope to flip the seat as a first show of success and gain momentum going into bigger contests next year.
Democrat Shawn Wilson, a former secretary of transportation in the Bel Edwards administration, is hoping to capitalize on what he says is his experience working alongside Republicans and Democrats alike to follow in Bel Edwards' footsteps as being one of the few Democrats in the country to lead a deeply conservative state.
"I saw a void happening in Louisiana, and I saw it as an opportunity to really bridge the divides that separate us as a state and focus on issues that make a difference for everyday people, things like making us safer, smarter, healthier and wealthier and addressing the insurance crisis here in Louisiana," he told Fox, before going on to tout some of the projects he said were accomplished by working across the aisle.
"Look at our balanced budget, look at the major investments we've had in paying down debt, look at how we've repopulated funds that had been swept and completely empty. We've actually made responsible decisions. And that's because we've worked together. And that's the kind of governor I will be, and that's the kind of administrator I've been for the last 25 years, working with folks across the aisle and independents and Democrats alike," he said.
The state's Republican attorney general, Jeff Landry, took a different approach, telling Fox that his discussions with people around the state showed it was struggling more than others across the South, and that a state "blessed with so many natural resources … should be leading rather than sitting at the bottom of the pile."
"We want the answers to come from the people, not the politicians," he said, arguing he was the best candidate in the race to make that happen.
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However, the two were nearly hand in hand when it came to their top policy priorities if elected.
"Like many states, we are facing issues with public safety, and we have to work collaboratively with our law enforcement community and our justice community to make sure that we are being smart dealing with these old problems and new ways, using technology, investing in workforce development and training, making sure that we have a pipeline of people ready to protect us," Wilson said.
He added that education, better health and a stronger economy were essential for improved outcomes for Louisianians, but added that addressing a growing insurance crisis due to natural disasters in the state was also paramount.
"We're going to focus on crime to make sure that Louisiana is a safe place, and we're going to focus on education because Louisiana has some dismal statistics on education. And we're going to focus on the economy. So those are the three things that we're primarily focused on," Landry said.
"I've been a sheriff's deputy, a police officer, a military police officer, the attorney general for eight years. My mother was a schoolteacher. She was a principal. She was a high school basketball coach. And so I have a great understanding of the educational system… We want to go back to the basics. We want teachers to teach kids how to think, not what to think," he added.
When asked about how national politics could affect the race, Wilson insisted Louisianians were focused on their local communities and what was being done to make life better there.
"That's the message that we've carried. That's what we're going to be focused on. While I support our nation and our national government, the reality is my job, my goal is to run for governor and to be the best governor this state has ever had to address issues for everyday families," he said.
Landry said that all politics had transformed to reflect how people felt about national issues, and that a lot of the same issues facing other states were also being felt in Louisiana.
"Crime is on the minds of many voters in America. It's on the voters minds here in Louisiana. Education… Skills. How do we increase our workforce? How do we create a more vibrant economy? Again I think those are all things on a national stage and here in Louisiana as well," he said.
Louisiana uses a majority-vote system, which pits all candidates of every party against each other in one primary to whittle down to the final two candidates if none reaches 50%.
The primary will be held Saturday. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two candidates will advance to the general election in November.
