Garret Graves feels 'extraordinary pressure' to run for Louisiana governor

Republican Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves said he is facing "extraordinary pressure" to run for governor and continues to weigh a decision on whether to enter this year's race or remain in the newly GOP-controlled House where his influence is growing.

"I'm continuing to think through where I can be the most helpful for the state," Graves said in an interview with USA Today Network. "At the end of the day, there is extraordinary pressure (from supporters) to run."

Graves is the last major Republican candidate on the fence.

State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, Attorney General Jeff Landry, state Rep. Richard Nelson of Mandeville and Treasurer John Schroder are already part of the GOP field. Landry has secured the early endorsement of the Louisiana Republican Party.

But Graves has said neither he nor the voters are impressed by the current lineup of Republicans.

"All of the polls shared with us show that no candidate has a majority of Republican support," he said. "It's pretty clear that there does appear to be an appetite for another candidate."

Graves said he has met with constituents and supporters since returning to Baton Rouge from Washington last week.

"Last week was the first week all year that we've actually been home from work; we've largely been locked up in D.C.," he said. "We've spent a good bit of time meeting with a number of people across the state.

"My wife and I talked about it again on Sunday. It's a pretty big decision and I want to make sure I make the right one for my family and my state. I have more meetings this week."

Graves said that decision will come "sometime soon," but the five-term congressman said he doesn't feel pressured for time.

Graves said he believes he could compete even if he waited months to declare "because I'm confident we could raise money and we have a good story to tell," he said.

One factor giving Graves pause is his rising leadership in the House.

The Baton Rouge congressman has key assignments on House Transportation, where he also chairs the Subcommittee on Aviation, and House Natural Resources, all critical seats at the table for Louisiana.

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Graves has also become one of the kingmakers within the Republican Conference as a staunch ally of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has appointed Graves to chair a council of GOP leadership and placed him on the steering committee that doles out committee assignments.

"That's one of the reasons why the whole governor's race is a difficult decision," he said. "I'm a big fan of (McCarthy's) and I'm close to him."

Qualifying for the Oct. 14 primary election is Aug. 8-10.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Congressman Garret Graves feels pressure to run for Louisiana governor