State Rep. Hunter Greene says he’s making a push to become the next speaker of the House. Greene, R-Baton Rouge, says he quietly campaigned for the spot among lawmakers during the recent legislative session and sought their guidance. “I’ve also been encouraged by people in the community and others involved with the legislative process,” Greene says. From a practical perspective, Greene will be able to mount a strong campaign because of his current position as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. That’s the panel that not only decides tax issues but also inserts local projects into the capital outlay bill on behalf of lawmakers.
Yet Greene isn’t the only Baton Rouge Republican angling for the speaker’s position. His seat mate on the House floor, Rep. Erich Ponti, is in the running. Ponti has his strengths, too: He already has a political action committee established, he came off of this year’s redistricting session as the legislator who accomplished the seemingly impossible task of crafting a compromise for Louisiana’s new congressional districts. Rep. Noble Ellington, a Republican from Winnsboro who was in the mix for speaker next year before he decided not to seek re-election, described Ponti’s efforts to the full House earlier this year as “tremendous.”
Ponti and Greene will go up against other aspirants: Declared candidates so far are Rep. Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles; Rep. Jeff Arnold, D-Algiers, a close friend of House Speaker Jim Tucker; and Rep. Joel Robideaux, I-Lafayette, presently the speaker pro tem of the House. Given the field, it likely will be a tough race. —Jeremy Alford
This story has been changed since it was first published.
