Nov 6, 2024 - Politics

Election Day: What's next for Louisiana

Chelsea Brasted

Photo illustration of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, talking, over a divided blue and red background with elements of ballots. — Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images and Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images

Former President Trump is the projected winner in the presidential election, with the AP calling the race for him Wednesday morning.

Why it matters: A Trump win sends an ally of Louisiana's top leader back to the White House.

See the latest national election results.

Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. appear to have tight friendships with Gov. Jeff Landry. Trump endorsed Landry's run for governor, and Trump Jr. has joined Landry's annual alligator hunt fundraiser.

"I could use you, Jeff," Trump told Landry, then the Louisiana attorney general, during a 2020 Hurricane Laura briefing. "You're so good. He is so tough and so good. And I agree with so much of what you do, almost all of it. I'm not sure that I've seen anything I don't agree with. Great job."

A Harris win would, on the other hand, have been a strategic victory for key New Orleans leaders, especially City Council president Helena Moreno, a likely mayoral candidate next year.

She, along with then-State Rep. Ted James, co-chaired Harris' 2020 campaign in Louisiana.
Plus, New Orleans natives former U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond and former Mayor Mitch Landrieu co-chaired Harris' national campaign. Richmond was also rumored to be vetted as her running mate.

The bottom line: It's always good to have a direct line to the nation's leadership.

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Election Day: What's next for Louisiana

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