Louisiana governor race heats up on first day of qualifying as hopefuls take gloves off

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's major governor candidates began taking the gloves off for the Oct. 14 primary election with Independent Hunter Lundy, Republican Treasurer John Schroder and Democratic former Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson officially signing up on the first day of qualifying.

Four more Republicans - state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, Attorney General Jeff Landry, state Rep. Richard Nelson and former Gov. Bobby Jindal's chief of state Stephen Waguespack - are scheduled to qualify Wednesday and Thursday.

Until now, the candidates have been relatively civil on stage and off, but as Schroder said Tuesday: "The campaign just (officially) started today."

Lundy, a wealthy attorney from Lake Charles, said all of his opponents represent Louisiana's current failures in crime, infrastructure and education.

"If you want more of the past, then vote for the top cop (Landry), or the road builder with the worst roads in the nation (Wilson) or the Bobby Jindal protege (Waguespack)," Lundy said.

Schroder touted his scandal-free, drama-free elective public service career as a state representative and now treasurer. He said the Louisiana Capitol is drenched in "corruption and cronyism" and accused front-running Republican Landry of using intimidation as his means to win.

"He's an antagonistic bully," Schroder said of Landry in an interview with USA Today Network. "He's come after me. That's all right. I can handle it. I don't like him coming after people who can't handle it."

Wilson said Louisiana's D+ infrastructure grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers is largely based on decades of inadequate funding and said he escalated improvements during his seven years as Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' transportation secretary.

"I'm a bridge builder, not a bridge burner," Wilson said, but acknowledged the campaign is likely to get divisive. "We did the work of the last five or six Legislatures."

"The Bible teaches us to turn the other cheek. I have two; after that we'll have to fight," he said.

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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: Louisiana governor candidates take gloves off on first day of qualifying