Jeff Landry has another powerful endorsement in his pocket as he looks to win the Louisiana governorship next month.
On Tuesday, the National Rifle Association said they would be backing Landry, the state’s current attorney general, for governor. In making the announcement, the NRA said it was due to the “unwavering commitment” he has shown to protect Second Amendment rights.
Randy Kozuch, the chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund – the political action committee representing the gun rights organization – commented for Fox News Digital:
“Jeff Landry’s unwavering commitment to expanding and fiercely guarding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Louisianans is unparalleled. His ambition for Louisiana as an NRA Constitutional Carry state, coupled with his proven track record, makes our decision clear.
“The National Rifle Association is proud to bestow upon Jeff our highest endorsement for governor with an A+ rating.”
Landry is running in a crowded field of 16 candidates for governor of Louisiana. The state has a different system for its gubernatorial election.
Its primary is scheduled for October 14. All candidates will appear on that ballot. One candidate can actually win the election at that point if they receive at least. 50% of the total vote.
If no one is able to command a majority in the primary election, then the top two vote-getters will advance to a run-off election that will be held November 18.
Landry is considered to be the top Republican candidate in the race. Polls show that his top challenger is democrat Shawn Wilson, who serves as the state’s current transportation secretary.
John Bel Edwards, the state’s current Democratic governor, isn’t able to run for re-election because he has reached his term limit.
In addition to the NRA, Landry has received endorsements from some top Republican lawmakers in Louisiana. Back in May, he received perhaps his biggest endorsement of all – from former President Donald Trump.
When Trump announced his endorsement, he called Landry a “fantastic attorney general … [who] wants to stop crime.”
Before making their endorsement public, the NRA sent Landry a letter on Tuesday to inform him they would be supporting him in the race. That letter read:
“As Attorney General, you worked to protect and expand the right to self-defense by calling on Congress to pass national concealed carry reciprocity. You petitioned the United States Supreme Court to uphold gun owners’ rights in NYSRPA v. Bruen. And you unapologetically stood with gun owners and sportsmen in Louisiana by joining every important legal effort to protect the Second Amendment.”
Louisiana is one of a few states that have gubernatorial elections on the ballot this year. The outcome of this election could prove to be a foreshadow of what might come in the much-anticipated 2024 elections – during which control of the White House and both chambers of Congress will be on the line.
Before serving as Louisiana’s attorney general, a position he assumed in 2016, Landry served as a congressman in the state. He’s also only one of two conservatives who has served as the state’s attorney general in the last 147 years.
