Politics

The period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is traditionally a quiet time in Louisiana politics. So make sure you soak up all peace and tranquility while you can. Because the next 12 months will host plenty of noisy political action—and it will be anything but peaceful.

Louisiana’s new deal with the New Orleans Saints gives state legislative leaders a victory, with lower-than-expected payments to help cover Caesars Superdome renovations, the ending of a stadium manager debt that irked lawmakers, and cuts to office lease costs for state agencies.

There is still one spot of business to tend to from this current election cycle, but voters won't head to the polls for it until Jan. 15. That's when Catahoula Parish officials will administer a special election to replace Police Juror Steve Poole, who died last month following an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle. Of course, that's not the only election around the corner. The state has municipal elections slated for March and April and the big congressional ballot is scheduled for the fall. In other words, the next 12 months will offer up plenty of politics.

The Tax Foundation ranks Louisiana's business tax climate 42nd among states in its annual ranking, but improvement should be on the way.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy is trying to stop an effort to allow the U.S. Small Business Administration from making direct government loans through its...

Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy said Tuesday that America should come to the aid of Kentucky and other states lashed by deadly tornadoes...

The once-in-a-decade redistricting effort is barely getting started in East Baton Rouge Parish but it has already led to a lawsuit threat and a consultant quitting in frustration.

Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district, which includes parts of Baton Rouge, is regularly ranked by voting rights groups as among the most gerrymandered in the country.

An outpouring of legislative opposition and a likely threat of litigation aren't changing Gov. John Bel Edwards' mind about requiring some Louisiana students to get the COVID-19 vaccine during the next school year or file a written opt-out form.

Turnout: No surprises here. Turnout is going to be low tomorrow. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s team is projecting a 10 percent turnout statewide....

The two sides in the legal fight over the incorporation of St. George could once again not come to an agreement. This time it was about whether to appoint a commissioner to fill in for the judge in their case who is retiring.

A revision to the current litter ordinance by Councilman Lamont Cole will go before the Metro Council at tonight’s meeting. 

A special state Senate committee, led by Baton Rouge Republican Franklin Foil, will meet Monday to review oversight of excessive force incidents and develop new proposals for reforms within the Louisiana State Police.

Right now, however, as December marches to its midpoint, we seem to have just as many pending or developing political stories as we do those that have been resolved and written

The Louisiana Legislature’s “roadshow” to hear from the public about the redrawing of the state’s political maps is halfway done, and already the hearings have offered a glimpse of how personal and heated the redistricting work will be in the February special session.

John Bel Edwards at 53%: In the latest round of gubernatorial polling from Morning Consult, 53% of those surveyed approved of Gov. John Bel...

The growth of East Baton Rouge Parish’s minority population over the past decade doesn’t necessarily mean redistricting will result in a new Black-majority Metro Council district.

Louisiana's Republican legislative leaders are outraged about a plan by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration to start requiring some students to get the coronavirus vaccination or submit a written dissent to attend school.

Louisiana voters may have rejected a constitutional amendment to start the centralization of the state’s sales tax collections, but that doesn’t mean lawmakers and outside groups are giving up on trying to make the change.

Silverside Cove, a proposed subdivision development near the intersection of Staring Lane and King’s Hill Avenue and located entirely in the floodplain, was approved by the Planning Commission last Monday in a 6-0 vote.