Gov. Jeff Landry used a stop in Metairie to make the case for four more years, touting job numbers, road construction and tax cuts even though he still has not formally announced a run for a second term. Campaign finance reports show he already has nearly $11 million banked for the effort, a sum that has political watchers wondering who, if anyone, will step up to challenge him.
Landry discussed his bid for a second term as governor while visiting Metairie, according to WGNO. The governor, who earned more than 52% of the vote in his first run, said he is ready to put his record up against anyone who enters the race. “I am ready to go out there and to put our record against anyone out there,” Landry said, per the same report.
During the visit, Landry rattled off a list of accomplishments he plans to lean on heavily. He said his record includes “60,000 new job opportunities created in just three years,” along with what he described as a record amount of roads and bridges under construction. He also argued the state's finances have never looked better, saying, “Our taxes are lower than they were before. Our fiscal house in Baton Rouge is in better shape than it's ever been before.” Landry additionally said public safety statistics speak for themselves, the station reported.
A Fundraising Head Start
The nearly $11 million figure cited in campaign finance reports lines up with fundraising totals Landry has touted publicly. According to NOLA.com, Landry announced in March that he had raised $10 million for his reelection effort, then said in September he had pulled in another $7 million at his annual alligator hunt. Political analyst Jeff Crouere, who was quoted by the station, said the strategy behind the aggressive fundraising is straightforward: Landry aims to raise as much as possible to deter potential challengers from even getting in.
Still, no one has officially entered the race against him. A report from State Affairs described Landry as a governor “who everyone assumes is running but has not made an official announcement.” The Louisiana Democratic Party has not endorsed a candidate at this time, the WGNO report noted.
Who Else Might Run
Jamie Davis, a recent U.S. Senate candidate, said a gubernatorial run is still on the table for him. “I may possibly think about running for governor,” Davis said, adding that he plans to remain active in state politics regardless of what he decides. Speaking to NOLA.com, Davis laid out his options more specifically: “My thought on 2027 is a maybe. I want to weigh all my options. If I don't run for governor, I'm definitely running for Senate in 2028.”
NOLA.com's report also named several other names being floated. On the Democratic side, Jay Luneau, Davante Lewis, Gary Smith and Dustin Granger were mentioned as possible candidates. Three well-known Republicans were named too: Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, state Treasurer John Fleming and former U.S. Rep. Garret Graves. For now, the outlet reported, Democrats have no obvious candidate to challenge Landry, who is heavily favored as the race begins.
Is Louisiana Still Reliably Red?
Crouere predicted the field will get crowded before it's all over, saying there will likely be multiple Democratic candidates in addition to any Republicans who jump in. He also argued the political ground in Louisiana has shifted. “This is a state that is now competitive again, and this is a state that is not a rock-solid Republican state anymore,” he said.
A Pelican Institute for Public Policy survey cited by State Affairs found Landry's approval at 43%, with 36% disapproving — numbers that trail President Donald Trump's 49% approval and 47% disapproval in the same poll. The same report noted that Nungesser, an incumbent running in a smaller field, got almost 131,000 more votes than Landry did in 2023. For comparison, former Gov. John Bel Edwards had reported about $5 million cash-on-hand at the same point in his own 2017 reelection cycle, according to State Affairs — less than half of what Landry has banked so far.
Jobs Numbers and a National Backdrop
Landry's claims about job creation echo separate reporting from FOX 8, which said Louisiana added 36,000 jobs over the year as of the third quarter of 2026 and ranked second only to South Carolina in job growth through September. Economist Adam Knapp told the station that much of that growth has come from construction tied to major buildouts, including Meta's “Hyperion” data center project.
That data-center boom comes against a national backdrop of pushback: NOLA.com reported that voters approved 44 of at least 45 ballot measures nationwide seeking to slow or stop data-center construction. Whether that sentiment shapes the Louisiana race remains to be seen.
When Louisiana Voters Will Decide
Louisiana's gubernatorial election is scheduled for October 9, 2027, according to WGNO, and the state's filing deadline for candidates will fall in August of that year, though an exact date was not specified. The Louisiana Secretary of State's own 2027 elections calendar lists the same October date but notes that election dates remain subject to change by the Legislature. With the filing window still months away, Landry's war chest — and his unofficial campaign-in-waiting — will likely keep growing before any rival officially steps into the ring.
