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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – As Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry aims to move from his current leadership position to take on the role of governor, the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish endorses his candidacy.

Landry made the endorsement announcement Monday, issuing a press release that detailed the party’s reasons for throwing their support behind the 52-year-old St. Martinville native.

The press release noted, “Crime is the No. 1 issue facing East Baton Rouge Parish followed closely by transportation, and those two issues were pivotal in helping the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish decide to endorse Attorney General Jeff Landry for Governor.”

The party also highlighted that in addition to serving as Louisiana’s attorney general since 2015, Landry has vast experience in a variety of capacities as a civil servant.

The group believes Landry has utilized each of these roles to address a concerning issue in Louisiana. “Jeff Landry began in law enforcement as a St. Martin Parish sheriff’s deputy, which gave him first-hand experience fighting crime on the streets…As Attorney General, he has continued fighting crime,” the party stated.

Before coming to a decision regarding Landry, the organization’s executive committee reportedly interviewed him for 90 minutes. By the end of the meeting, the committee members said they concluded that Landry’s grasp of the important issues facing the state and his vision for the future was in harmony with the party’s principles.

“Observers believe the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish is the most influential local Republican Party in the state and that its endorsement is second only to the Louisiana Republican Party in its impact. This endorsement effectively closes the door on other Republican candidates who may choose to challenge Landry,” said Republican Chairman and former Rep. Woody Jenkins.

The group issued the following statement regarding its support of Landry.

“The Republican Party believes Jeff Landry is the best candidate for Governor and one of the finest candidates for any office we have seen in years, and we fully support him. We will be campaigning for him at the grassroots level in East Baton Rouge Parish and do everything in our power to help him be elected.”

Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish