Louisiana governor-elect Jeff Landry announces transition team leadership

Louisiana Governor-elect Jeff Landry announced key members of his transition team, introducing a group that includes two past gubernatorial candidates, business leaders and his wife.

Landry, a Republican currently serving as the state’s attorney general, surprised many earlier this month when he won the gubernatorial race outright despite facing a crowded field with 14 other candidates, including seven other Republicans. Now, with an extra month to plan the transition to the governor’s mansion, Landry said he’s aiming to hit the ground running when he takes office in January.

“I promise that we are going to make sure that this transition is a success, and we want to make sure that it is thorough, it’s efficient, and that it is as transparent as possible,” Landry said. “The state wasn’t broke overnight, and we’re not going to fix it overnight. We want to make sure that what we do is a very thorough, important process.”

During a press conference Wednesday, Landry announced several of the key members of his transition team, including Kyle Ruckert, a political consultant who will be leading the transition team. Ruckert is the president of Bold Strategies LLC, a political consulting firm out of Baton Rouge, and formerly served as the chief of staff to then-U.S. Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana.

The other major appointments to the transition team include former gubernatorial candidates Ralph Abraham and Eddie Rispone, who both ran against Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2019. Rispone, a Baton Rouge businessman, advanced to the runoff in 2019. Abraham is the former U.S. Representative for Louisiana’s 5th District.

Lane Grigsby, another prominent Louisiana businessman and a self-described “kingmaker” in Louisiana politics, will also be on the committee. Harvey Gulf International CEO Shane Guidry, Baton Rouge attorney Tim Hardy, and Allison Marine Holdings Chairman Steve Orlando are also on the team.

The lone woman on the team is Landry’s wife, Sharon, who he said would “help keep them in line.”

“It’s important to know that since my days in Congress, she has always been a quiet voice in doing her best to corral me and make sure that we are always focused on the people that we serve,” Landry said.

Landry said his transition team’s headquarters will be run out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He said the Lafayette location would make his team more accessible to stakeholders across the state.

Landry said he has been in contact with Edwards, who he said has been “extremely gracious” and has assured him the transition will be smooth.

“I want to thank him for that,” Landry said. “I know that prior administrations, as they transition out and new ones transition in, there can be a lot of tension … so I do appreciate that. I think the governor has done a great job of reaching out.”

He also remained firm on his desire to have a special session to address crime in Louisiana “within the first month, within the first week if we can” after taking office.

The governor-elect repeatedly emphasized that his transition team would be doing things differently from its predecessors.

“We are going to be doing things different than the way past administrations have done the transition and certainly the way that they have governed,” Landry said. “So the old way of doing things is, for the most part, out the door.”

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Jeff Landry announces transition team leadership