Every Friday, politics reporter Molly Ryan rounds up the news of the week from the campaign trail and beyond.
A reminder that Louisiana’s primary is tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 14. Voters will head to the polls to narrow down the candidate pool in a number of statewide and local races. Plus, four proposed constitutional amendments are also on the ballot.
The top two vote-getters in each race will advance to the general election on Nov. 18 — unless a single candidate wins outright with more than 50% of the primary vote.
Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. You can find your location here.
Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise drops bid for House speaker
Republican Steve Scalise, who represents Louisiana’s First Congressional District, dropped his bid for speaker of the House Thursday night. House Republicans selected a new nominee Friday afternoon — Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Scalise won the GOP nomination for speaker earlier this week, narrowly beating Jordan who had the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. But just a day later, it became clear Scalise could not secure the support of enough of his Republican colleagues to win a majority of the whole House.
When he stepped down, Scalise emphasized the importance of choosing a new speaker quickly. He said the country is depending on it.
“I never came here for a title,” he said. “It’s much bigger than me and it’s much bigger than anybody else. And nobody is going to use me as an excuse to hold back our ability to get the House open again.”
The House cannot legally take any other action until a new speaker is selected. The chamber has been without a speaker since Oct. 5 when members ousted then speaker California Republican Kevin McCarthy.
Electing a new speaker is especially important right now as war rages between Israel and Hamas and a government funding deadline looms.
Following Scalise’s withdrawal, Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder, who is running for governor as a Republican, issued a statement expressing his disappointment and criticizing members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation for failing to support Scalise.
Early voting turnout down
Data from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office shows that early voting turnout in this year’s primary election has dropped since the last gubernatorial primary.
About 40,000 fewer Louisianans voted in this year’s early voting period than in 2019 when incumbent Democrat John Bel Edwards was up for reelection. The most significant drops in early voting are among Black Louisianans and Democrats.
Early voting usually makes up a significant portion of Louisiana’s total voter turnout. With a drop in early voting, estimates for total voter turnout are below 50%.
The heavier Republican turnout in this year’s early voting period could be good news for Jeff Landry, the state’s current attorney general who has a commanding lead in fundraising and polling over the other candidates.
Every Friday afternoon, politics reporter Molly Ryan brings listeners election and politics updates live on the Capitol Access segment of All Things Considered on WWNO and WRKF.
