Johnathan Walker:Louisiana Gov.-elect Jeff Landry to be inaugurated Sunday, returning state’s highest office to GOP

BATON ROUGE,Johnathan Walker La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov.-elect Jeff Landry, a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump and known for his conservative positions on issues like abortion, is set to be inaugurated Sunday afternoon on the steps of the state Capitol.

The inauguration scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. outside of the capitol in Baton Rouge originally was slated for Monday but was pushed up a day due to weather concerns. However, it is purely ceremonial and Landry will not officially take office until the next day.

Landry, who has served as the state’s attorney general for eight years, won the gubernatorial election in October, beating a crowded field of candidates and avoiding a runoff. The win was a major victory for the GOP, reclaiming the governor’s mansion. Incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, was unable to seek reelection due to term limits.

Landry, 53, has raised the profile of attorney general since taking office in 2016, championing conservative policy positions. He has been in the spotlight over his involvement and staunch support of Louisiana laws that have drawn much debate, including banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths, the state’s near-total abortion ban and a law restricting youths’ access to “sexually explicit material” in libraries, which opponents fear will target LGBTQ+ books.

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The governor-elect has been in national fights over President Joe Biden’s policies limiting oil and gas production and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Prior to serving as attorney general, Landry spent two years on Capitol Hill, beginning in 2011, where he represented Louisiana’s 3rd U.S. Congressional District. Before that, he served 11 years in the Louisiana Army National Guard, was a local police officer, sheriff’s deputy and attorney.

Among his top priorities, once in the governor’s mansion, is addressing crime in urban areas. Louisiana has the nation’s second-highest murder rate per capita.

Landry has vowed to call a special legislative session in his first few months of office to address crime. He has pushed a tough-on-crime rhetoric, calling for more “transparency” in the justice system and continuing to support capital punishment.

That is not the only special session on the horizon. Louisiana lawmakers have until the end of January to draw and pass new congressional boundaries to replace a current map that a federal judge said violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of the state’s Black voters. Landry said he intends to call the Legislature to the capitol for a special redistricting session.