John Stefanski makes it official, announces campaign team for attorney general

Republican state Rep. John Stefanski of Crowley officially announced his campaign for Louisiana attorney general Monday, though he has been running and raising money with the intention to make the 2023 race since January.

Stefanski, 38, an attorney who practices law in his hometown with his father, is seeking to replace current Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry, who is expected to run for governor.

“As the top law enforcement officer in Louisiana, my first priority will be defending Louisiana families against the rise in violent crime,” Stefanski in a statement. "Violent crime in our major cities is out of control and I’m ready take a proactive stand against it. As Louisiana's next Attorney General my message will be crystal clear - the rule of law will be respected and enforced or the consequences will be severe."

Others expected to run for attorney general include Third District Attorney John Belton, an Independent, and Landry's top attorney Liz Murrill, a Republican who is the state's solicitor general.

Stefanski also announced that he's secured a veteran campaign team with Louisiana roots:

Among them: Sally Nungesser, whose clients include most of the state's Republican congressional delegation; senior data analyst Bill Skelly; senior advisor Chris Carr, former political director for the Republican National Committee; Go Big Media's Brent Barksdale, who will lead the production team and was part of the campaign that helped defeat Republican Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney; Push Digital lead by Austin Stukins, who's leading digital efforts for Herschel Walker's Georgia Senate campaign; and general consultants Lionel Rainey and Lunden Chenevert, well-known campaign managers in Louisiana and beyond.

"We’ve put together one of the winningest and what I believe is the best campaign team in America,” Stefanski said. "More importantly, my entire team has Louisiana roots. They are personally invested in this race and have a genuine concern for the future of our state."

Stefanski won his seat in the House in a 2017 special election. He is chairman of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, which leads the effort to redraw Louisiana's political boundaries this year as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process.

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

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: John Stefanski announces for Louisiana attorney general