The Wrong Side of the Table: Jeff Landry, Trial Lawyers, and the Fight Conservatives Didn't Vote For

The governor of Louisiana is setting his own legacy on fire.

Louisiana’s conservative voters sent a loud message in 2023: they wanted reform. After years of skyrocketing insurance premiums, a shrinking market, and an exodus of providers, voters overwhelmingly backed candidates who promised to fix the state’s broken legal and insurance systems.

Jeff Landry was the face of that wave. But just over a year into his administration, it’s starting to feel like he’s standing on the wrong side of the table.

A Hunting Trip, a PAC, and a Pattern

Last week, news broke that Governor Landry hosted a private turkey hunting trip at an exclusive Texas lodge, flying out legislative leaders and two of the state’s most prominent trial lawyers—Gordon McKernan and Digger Earles—for a few days of shooting and policy discussions.

The trip was paid for by "Protect Louisiana Values," a PAC closely tied to the governor.

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Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a bipartisan roundtable at the Capitol. This was a political getaway bankrolled by a PAC with "values" in its name, hosting a private audience with the very lawyers who have bankrolled Democrat campaigns in Louisiana for decades—and who are now benefiting from the veto pen and policy preferences of a governor elected by conservatives.

State ethics laws prohibit public officials from receiving anything of economic value related to their official duties. Whether this trip crosses that line is a question for the ethics board. But even if it’s technically legal, it reeks of the kind of backroom dealmaking Louisiana voters thought they were rejecting in 2023.

Where Were the Other Voices?

Equally troubling is who wasn’t invited.

The Insurance Commissioner—elected statewide by the same voters who elected Landry—was nowhere to be found. Neither were any representatives from the insurance industry. It was a closed-door session between lawmakers and the lawyers who stand to benefit most from maintaining the current status quo.

And that status quo is a disaster.

We have the highest auto insurance rates in the country. Property insurers are abandoning Louisiana in droves. Lawsuits—many of them driven by inflated medical billing and coordinated trial tactics—are helping drive up costs across the board. And the people paying the price aren’t lawyers or lobbyists—they’re working-class families from Houma to Hammond, trying to keep a roof over their heads and a policy they can afford.

Landry’s “Deny, Delay, and Deflect” Line Deserves Scrutiny

At his press conference this week, Landry used a familiar phrase to describe the insurance industry: "Delay, deny, and deflect."

It’s catchy. But it’s also deeply unsettling.

That same language—nearly word for word—was used by Luigi Mangione, the man now on trial for shooting and killing an insurance executive last year. Mangione’s supporters claimed his rage over insurance delays contributed to the violence. In his own words, etched onto bullets, he referenced the phrase "Deny, Delay, Depose."

Landry may not have intended the echo. But for a governor who styles himself as tough on crime and pro-law enforcement, it's disturbing to see political rhetoric that so closely mirrors the language used by a man accused of cold-blooded murder over a claim dispute.

Real Reform Means Tort Reform

To be fair, the insurance industry isn’t without blame. Some companies have made decisions that deserve scrutiny, and reforms are needed to improve transparency, protect consumers, and stabilize the market. But pretending the trial bar isn't a massive part of the problem is either naïve or disingenuous.

Trial lawyers have spent millions electing Democrats, influencing legislation, and killing meaningful tort reform in committee year after year. They’ve helped make Louisiana a litigation hotspot that insurers avoid like the plague. And now, after contributing heavily to Landry’s campaign, they seem to have his ear—and his agenda.

Let’s not forget: Landry vetoed a key tort reform bill last year and helped water down others. He appointed two trial lawyers to the LSU Board of Supervisors. And now he’s making policy decisions after closed-door meetings at hunting lodges instead of open hearings in Baton Rouge.

This isn’t reform. It’s retreat.

Conservatives Sent Landry to Fight—Not Fold

To Louisiana conservatives reading this: you didn’t vote for this.

You voted for someone who would take on the entrenched interests, not go hunting with them. You voted for someone who would drain the swamp, not throw a crawfish boil in it. And you voted for someone who would fight for working families crushed by insurance premiums, not the lawyers making a killing off inflated claims and billboard campaigns.

Landry had a particularly poor interview with statewide radio host Moon Griffon on Wednesday, in which he accused Griffon and other critics of “spreading lies” and “not understanding” the situation.

As of now, voters do not trust Landry, which is evident given the beatdown his policy agenda took at the ballot box in late March.

There’s still time for Governor Landry to get back on track. But it starts by remembering who got him elected—and what they expected from him when they did.