News

Landry enters AG race

by Walter Pierce

Former Congressman Jeff Landry says he's running to be Louisiana's next attorney general, seeking to oust a fellow Republican from the job.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Former Congressman Jeff Landry says he's running to be Louisiana's next attorney general, seeking to oust a fellow Republican from the job.

Landry announced Monday that he'll seek the seat currently held by Attorney General Buddy Caldwell in the 2015 election. Caldwell is running for re-election.

Landry, a lawyer and businessman from New Iberia, was in the U.S. House for one term and quickly became a tea party favorite.

But he lost his re-election bid in 2012 when he was forced into the same district as Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, after Louisiana lost a House seat because of stagnant population in the federal census.

Landry has criticized Caldwell for his support of contracting arrangements that give lawyers a slice of a judgment, rather than a flat rate of pay.

Soon after making the announcement Monday, the Landry campaign got a boost from Sen. David Vitter, who made appearances with Landry during his campaign against Boustany and who shares Landry's far right, tea party-friendly positions on many issues.

"JeffLandry is a strong, solid conservative. As a veteran, law enforcement officer, attorney and lawmaker, he would be a very qualified AG," Vitter said in a statement released to media.

IND Monthly staff contributed to this report.