The Battle for the Soul of Louisiana Conservatism

Louisiana conservatives didn't fight this hard to elect Republicans just so they could govern like Democrats with better rhetoric.

I can distill almost every email, text, call, and other communication I’ve gotten with regard to our recent legislative session into the following: "I voted for Jeff Landry because I wanted conservative change. But when I see him flying on trial lawyers' jets while vetoing tort reform, and then pushing government price controls on insurance, I'm starting to wonder—did we elect a conservative, or did we just elect another politician who talks conservative?"

That question exposes the real battle happening in Louisiana right now. It's not between Republicans and Democrats—it's between conservatives who mean what they say, and politicians who use conservative language to hide fundamentally unconservative actions.

The Mandate We Thought We Had

For eight years under John Bel Edwards, Louisiana conservatives were told to wait. Wait for a Republican governor. Wait for the right moment. Wait for the stars to align.

Well, in 2023, they did. Louisiana voters didn't just elect Jeff Landry—they gave him a mandate with 52 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff entirely. Republicans took supermajorities in both chambers. The Louisiana Committee for Conservative Majority spent over $735,000 specifically targeting moderate Republicans and replacing them with principled conservatives like Blake Miguez and Alan Seabaugh. The message was clear: we want real conservative reform, not more political theater.

But here's what happened instead.

Flying with the Wrong Crowd

Instead of using that red wave to tackle lawsuit abuse—the issue that's driven our insurance rates through the roof and made Louisiana a "Judicial Hellhole" for fourteen straight years—something else happened. In April 2025, Landry met with trial lawyers Gordon McKernan and others at a Texas hunting resort. McKernan flew House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, Senate President Cameron Henry, and three committee chairs on his law firm's jet. Landry's political organization, "Protect Louisiana Values", paid for their stay.

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This wasn't a confrontation. It was accommodation.

Instead of pushing tort reform that had been promised for years, Landry vetoed House Bill 423, which would have limited recovery of inflated medical expenses and addressed the lawsuit abuse driving up costs for Louisiana families. Why? Because, in his words, he wanted to ensure "working people would receive what they deserve." That's the exact same argument trial lawyers have been making for decades while Louisiana families pay a hidden "tort tax" of $965 per year.

Political Theater Over Substance

While real reform stalled, Landry focused on political theater. He signed a law requiring the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, making Louisiana the first state to do so. Great theater. Lots of far-right media appearances. Days before signing it, he said "I can't wait to be sued" over the law.

But while he was fighting that constitutional battle destined for federal court, where was the fight for tort reform? Where was the push for real budget cuts?

Here's the kicker: Landry backed legislation crafted by Democrat trial lawyer Rep. Robby Carter that gives the Insurance Commissioner unilateral power to set insurance rates by government fiat. The provision was added as an amendment to HB148 and ultimately became Act 11. That's not conservative reform—that's Bernie Sanders-style price control that Louisiana Republicans actually passed into law.

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Budget Theater, Not Budget Cuts

Landry claims he's cutting spending, but his "cuts" are largely federal COVID money that was already disappearing. The reduction in state spending from the current year( $3.3 billion) is largely the result of federal funding for the state disappearing, not actual conservative fiscal policy.

Meanwhile, he's proposing to cut domestic violence shelter funding by $7 million while increasing prison spending by nearly $40 million. That's not fiscal conservatism—that's just moving money around while the overall size of government continues to grow.

What Real Conservatism Looks Like

Now contrast that with the real conservatives in the Legislature. Blake Miguez has consistently fought against tax increases and pushed for genuine fiscal reform. Alan Seabaugh was part of the "Fiscal Hawks" who opposed Bobby Jindal's irresponsible budgeting and led a midnight filibuster that successfully killed a proposed $500 million annual tax increase.

These are legislators who understand that conservatism means saying no to bad ideas, even when they're politically popular. They understand that conservative principles don't change based on which trial lawyers are paying for hunting trips.

The Machine Doesn't Get Fixed from Inside

What we're seeing isn't unique to Louisiana. It's the same pattern we see when populist energy gets channeled through the existing political machine instead of changing it. The machine doesn't get fixed from the inside. It fixes you.

The trial lawyer lobby in Louisiana has perfected this game. They fund campaigns, they host "educational" trips, they wine and dine officials, and suddenly tort reform becomes "too complicated" or "not the right time." Meanwhile, insurance companies flee the state, rates skyrocket, and working families pay the price.

Louisiana loses 40,500 jobs each year due to excessive tort costs. That's not an abstract number—that's real people who can't find work because our legal system has made it too expensive to do business here.

This is why Moon Griffon, Scott McKay, and others in the conservative commentary class have been sounding the alarm. We see what's happening. The same interests that fought conservative reform for decades are now in the room helping craft "conservative" policy.

That's not reform. That's capture.

What Real Conservative Leadership Looks Like

So what does real conservative leadership look like in Louisiana? Three things:

First, prioritize what matters most. Our biggest problem isn't whether the Ten Commandments are on classroom walls; it's that we have the second-highest murder rate in the nation and some of the highest insurance rates in America. Deal with crime through effective policing and prosecution, not just longer sentences. Deal with insurance costs through tort reform, not government price controls.

Second, cut spending, don't just shuffle it. Louisiana's budget is still bloated with unnecessary programs and bureaucratic waste. A real conservative would identify every non-essential function and eliminate it. Every dollar the government doesn't spend is a dollar that stays in taxpayers' pockets.

Third, stop playing footsie with the trial lawyer lobby. States like Texas and Florida have reduced insurance costs by taking on lawsuit abuse directly. Louisiana can do the same, but only if our leaders have the backbone to say no to the people who've been profiting from the status quo.

The Choice Ahead

Here's the bottom line: Louisiana conservatives didn't fight this hard to elect Republicans just so they could govern like Democrats with better rhetoric. We wanted leaders who would challenge entrenched interests, not accommodate them. Leaders who would cut spending, not just rearrange it. Leaders who would fix real problems, not just create political theater.

Jeff Landry still has time to choose which kind of leader he wants to be. But if he keeps flying on trial lawyers' jets while Louisiana families pay the freight, he'll discover that conservative voters have long memories, and short patience for politicians who forgot why they were elected.

The battle for the soul of Louisiana conservatism isn't over. But it's time for conservatives to demand leaders who govern like they campaigned, with principle, not compromise. The future of our state depends on it.