Gov. Jeff Landry rolled deep for his news conference on the Capitol’s fourth floor, with an entourage of more than a dozen heavyweights who—and this was the intended takeaway—had his back.
There was a state Supreme Court justice, a couple of statewide elected officials and a public service commissioner, to name a few of the folks comprising the human backdrop for Landry’s constitutional convention pitch. Heck, there was even a Southern Baptist pastor (Family Research Council President Tony Perkins) and a Harvard University grad (former Rep. Loulan Pitre) flanking the governor.
Just further proof that no one runs political central casting like Landry, a Cajun powerbroker who can now move personalities around like chess pieces.
Reporters asked Landry what he wanted in a new constitution. But many also harbored inquiries about the new governor’s desire to control Louisiana’s boards and commissions and his continued—and hurried—reorganization of departments and agencies.
At one point during last Thursday morning’s news conference, as he attempted to leverage the press corps to convince the people of Louisiana to give him a convention, Landry sounded like he knew what some of the reporters were thinking. As he approaches his fifth month in office, Landry surely knows other people are thinking it, too.
“Anybody who says, ‘Governor, this is about you trying to consume more power,’ I will tell you, that’s complete nonsense,” Landry said to those gathered in the press room.
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.
