Jeff Landry’s Amendments Crash at the Ballot Box—and He’s Blaming the Voters
Louisiana’s governor just suffered a major political blow after all four of his proposed constitutional amendments were overwhelmingly rejected. His response? A swipe at the people.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry suffered an embarrassing defeat on Saturday. He was not on the ballot, but he was very vocal in pushing four constitutional amendments to the state’s constitution. All four were overwhelmingly defeated at the ballot box, and the governor’s reaction to the defeat is… less than stellar.
From the jump, let me say this: I did not vote in this election. I have been on record repeatedly saying I will not vote for amendments until we get a new constitution—one that does not need dozens of amendments every new administration. Our legislature and governors abuse the amendment process to pawn more delicate matters directly onto the voters rather than taking tough stances themselves.
It has led to a constitution that makes it nearly impossible to procure any meaningful cuts to government spending, and it allows legislators to protect their little pots of gold.
These four amendments were less about all that, however, but they were a reflection of where voters stand on the governor himself: They do not trust him.
Landry Had a Mandate—And Fell Short
Jeff Landry won in an extremely conservative election. It wasn’t just Republican turnout. It was conservative turnout across the state of Louisiana that got him so over the line in a crowded field that he didn’t need to win a runoff. He got it in one, which was frankly amazing on his part.
With a conservative wave comes conservative expectations: Tort reform, education reform, criminal justice reform, tax reform, and constitutional reform. Given the timing, there was also the looming threat of a legal challenge to force Louisiana to adopt a second majority-minority district in its congressional map. Conservatives had high hopes for Landry, who has been extremely conservative while fighting Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards seemingly every day.
But the moment he entered office, Landry began having problems. He called a special session for criminal justice, hoping to fight against rampant crime (particularly in New Orleans). He got some items across the finish line, but nothing terribly notable.
In subsequent sessions:
He actually fought against tort reform in the legislature after taking hundreds of thousands in donations for his gubernatorial run from trial lawyers.
He struggled to show he cared about education reform, and what was passed was nowhere near what was promised or needed.
He appears to have cut a deal with Cleo Fields, giving him a majority-minority district that could ultimately end up obliterated by the Supreme Court.
He then watched helplessly as Fields turned around and killed any chance of constitutional reform before he skipped off to Congress in his new district.
His attempts to reform the state’s tax code were chaotic and ultimately did little to change anything.
Saturday’s Election: His Word Carries No Weight
Then came this small spring election. Four constitutional amendments were on the ballot. They covered a wide range of topics, but what’s clear is that, starting about three weeks ago, Landry and his allies were shouted down by various groups across the state.
Some of these groups were funded by leftwing activists. Some were motivated by a misinformation campaign. Others simply pointed out the state’s own lies on the subject of teacher pay.
But therein lies the problem: The Landry administration never mounted a full-scale defense of their amendments. They bought some commercial time on the radio, did a few media hits, and in general traveled the state to rally some of their supporters. But the governor’s team, once again, never seemed to be fully into it. My gut reaction is that Landry has repeatedly assumed that what happened when he got elected would keep happening in his favor. He took his 2023 victory for granted and assumed he would not have to work hard to get his ideas passed because the entire state is deep red and loves him.
That appears, based on these results, to not be the case.
At 21 percent turnout across the state, the numbers should benefit Landry in a normal year. Off-year elections, especially spring elections on a rainy Saturday in March, should mean lower Democrat turnout. But when you look at the breakdown of voters, Democrats outnumbered Republicans in the overall turnout. That is an extremely bad look for the governor, who cannot get his base out to support his agenda.
He took their support for granted, and because he failed to deliver on promises and expectations, he has lost them. If Landry wants to get those voters back, he will have to start delivering.
Calling the Voters “Stupid” Doesn’t Help
Landry’s response to the election results is extremely telling.
In a statement, Landry said “Although we are disappointed in tonight’s results, we do not see this as a failure. We realize how hard positive change can be to implement in a State that is conditioned for failure.”
Voters, especially his voters, will interpret that as an attack on them. Most of the folks I’ve talked to about his statement took it to mean “Louisiana voters aren’t smart enough to understand what’s good for them,” and it’s not playing well among the left, right, or center. Whatever his intention behind the comment, it is a comment that is being taken extremely negatively.
Which, to be frank with you all, is an ongoing problem with Landry. His comments aren’t very polished, and even when they’ve been massaged a bit, they still come across as brash and defensive. He is not a great communicator, and he has yet to be able to get his best intentions across to the public without a lot of help from allies.
The Answer? Probably Tort Reform
My usual warning here: One election, especially an off-year spring election in Louisiana, doesn’t mean much overall. But the magnitude of the loss can’t be overlooked. If Landry cannot get his base out to support his big-ticket agenda items, he has to do something to win his base back.
The answer, as it usually is in Louisiana, is probably tort reform. Of course, that would mean the governor would need to reverse course over past positions, and essentially tell his big donors in the trial lawyer industry in Louisiana to shove off. That’s going to be tough to do for a man who never admits he was wrong. But it’s what Landry will have to do. It’s the biggest, most explosive way to show he is fighting for his voters. They elected him to fight the coming insurance crisis in Louisiana, and he has so far done nothing.
Landry walked away Saturday night with a lot of egg on his face. He’s still got more than half a term left to correct his trajectory, but he has to make some very big moves in order to do so.