Freshman state Rep. Mike Johnson, chair of the Central Louisiana Delegation Caucus, is calling for House Republicans to get behind a speaker candidate ahead of January’s organizational session.
Johnson, who insists he’s not running for the top leadership gig, believes solidarity would serve the Louisiana GOP better than a slate of candidates that could divide the body at the beginning of the next term. When the time comes, Johnson says he will only support a candidate who has secured the support of the House Republican delegation and urged his colleagues to join him in “preserving the integrity of the selection process.”
The idea has caught the attention of a few politicos like Rep. Gabe Firment, who is standing by Johnson in his call for a delegation candidate.
“There is no limit to what we can accomplish next term with a new governor and a united Legislature,” Firment says.
Out on the campaign trail, in House District 65, candidate Jamie Marie Pope tweeted that she “signed the pledge” and would support a speaker bid by anyone endorsed by the delegation.
Litigation: The Promise of Justice Initiative and Rights Behind Bars have filed a lawsuit against the Louisiana Department of Corrections and Prison Enterprises challenging the “harsh and unconstitutional conditions of forced agricultural labor at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, or Angola.”
Recall: Petitions to recall Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy and Council members Lee Rubin and Jim Villard have been filed with the Secretary of State’s office. The paperwork was filed by organizers Shicola Jones and Natosha Parker. Among the reasons cited in the filing are a failure to implement an adequate police recruitment and retention plan as well as a failure to develop an economic plan for the city.
They said it: “Timing is everything in life, people.” —LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, explaining her success, at a statue unveiling at Louisiana Tech this week.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
