It has been nearly a year since Jeremy Alford was sitting across from Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, interviewing him for an episode of his video series “Capitol Gains,” when he said something that genuinely surprised him, Alford writes in his latest column.
Nungesser, a Republican, was doing his best to explain his relationship with Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Like his predecessors, Nungesser said during his July 2018 interview that he was interested in expanding the scope of responsibilities for the position in which he serves. But to accomplish anything meaningful, like brokering economic development projects or tax incentives, he added, a sitting lieutenant governor would need the enthusiastic assistance of the governor.
That’s when the lieutenant governor floated a novel and ancient idea.
“To get the most bang for your buck, you’ve got to have that good work relationship with the governor,” Nungesser said. “So maybe it’s time to talk about running as a ticket again.”
As a political reporter, Alford writes, it felt like a goldmine. After all, the Huey and Earl Long practiced this method, which played a visible role in Louisiana politics throughout most of the last century.
But interest in the idea fizzled quickly, until this legislative session, when House Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, filed HB 113, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have voters jointly elect the governor and lieutenant governor, starting in 2023.
Read Alford’s full column about the possibility of Louisiana governor’s running on party tickets.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, atLaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
