Bill Cassidy will not to run for Louisiana governor, senator tweets

FILE – In this July 24, 2020, file photo, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., delivers remarks to media after registering as a candidate to run as an incumbent in Baton Rouge, La. More than a dozen unions and citizens’ groups say unemployed workers will demonstrate at U.S. senators’ offices in nine Louisiana cities to demand continued $600 federal coronavirus unemployment benefits. Sens. Cassidy and John Kennedy are among Republicans supporting Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s proposal to cut that benefit to $200 a week on top of state unemployment pay. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

by: Scott Yoshonis

Posted: Nov 18, 2022 / 09:46 AM AST

Updated: Jan 19, 2023 / 01:44 PM AST

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BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has announced he will not be one of the many candidates to succeed John Bel Edwards as Governor of Louisiana in the 2023 election.

Earlier this week, Cassidy had said he was considering a run but issued a statement on Friday (Nov. 18) that said he decided against it.

“When I was elected to the United States Senate, I was given a job to represent the people of Louisiana and serve the United States of America,” Cassidy said. “For the last several years, I have been working on specific legislation that is critical for the future of our state and country. I don’t know if these solutions will pass, but I know they will not pass if I decide to run for another office. I have chosen to remain focused on the job I was sent here to do and to see these efforts through. Therefore, I will not be a candidate for governor.”

Louisiana’s other senator, John Kennedy, has also floated the idea of a run for governor. Kennedy was re-elected to the Senate on Nov. 8.

Attorney General Jeff Landry has announced his candidacy for governor, and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser has also said he plans to run.

The primary election for governor is scheduled for Oct. 14, 2023, and the general election for Nov. 18, 2023.

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