Month: October 2023

Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry has won the Louisiana governor’s race, in a major victory for the GOP as they reclaim the governor’s mansion for the first time in eight years. Landry succeeds current Gov. John Bel Edwards, who was unable to seek reelection due to consecutive term limits. Landry, 52, garnered more than half of the votes and avoided an expected runoff under the state’s “jungle primary” system. The last time there wasn’t a gubernatorial runoff in Louisiana was in 2011 and 2007, when Bobby Jindal, a Republican, won the state’s top position.

Landry — who was backed by former President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep Steve Scalise — said during his victory speech: “Today’s election says that our state is united. It’s a wake up call and it’s a message that everyone should hear loud and clear, that we the people in this state are going to expect more out of our government from here on out.”. The governor-elect celebrated with supporters during a watch party in Broussard, Louisiana, and described the election as “historic.”

Landry has used his office to champion conservative policy positions, and repeatedly clashed with Edwards over matters in the state, including LGBTQ rights, state finances and the death penalty. He spent two years on Capitol Hill, beginning in 2011, where he represented Louisiana’s 3rd U.S. Congressional District. Prior to his political career, Landry served 11 years in the Louisiana Army National Guard, was a local police officer, sheriff’s deputy and attorney.

Landry has said that one of his top priorities as governor would be addressing crime in urban areas, pushing a ‘tough-on-crime’ rhetoric, calling for more “transparency” in the justice system and continuing to support capital punishment. Louisiana has the nation’s second-highest murder rate per capita.

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FBI Director Christopher Wray told reporters on a call Sunday that the agency has seen an increase in reported threats in the US in the wake of Hamas attack in Israel. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security both issued a public service announcement and a bulletin to law enforcement agencies last week, warning of possible threats related to the war abroad.

A senior FBI official said during the call that most threats have been deemed not credible by the agency, but Jewish and Muslim institutions have been targeted. The FBI official also noted that over the past week, the agency has seen an uptick in rhetoric targeting “Jewish people as well as Muslim institutions.” Wray said: “Here in the US, we cannot and do not discount the possibility thaat Hamas or other foreign terrorist organizations could exploit the conflict to call on their supporters to conduct attacks on our own soil.”

Wray said that FBI officials have also been meeting with leaders in Jewish and Muslim communities across the US as the threats increase. The goal of these meetings, both in person and over the phone, has been to tell leaders “if you see something that concerns you, please let us know because we want to keep you safe.” The director also noted that the FBI is working to help “identify all Americans who’ve been impacted in (Israel), including those who remain unaccounted for.”

According to the State Department, fifteen Americans are still unaccounted for after the attacks, and over two dozen Americans were killed. Said Wray: “Our victim services specialists are working closely with victims and their families, here and abroad.”

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