AP Wire

Bumpy beginning: House rejects JBE’s pick for speaker

by Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press

Instead, the majority Republican chamber voted Monday for Rep. Taylor Barras, a Republican from New Iberia, to lead the House.

Barras

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana House has rejected incoming Gov. John Bel Edwards' pick to be its speaker.

Instead, the majority Republican chamber voted Monday for Rep. Taylor Barras, a Republican from New Iberia, to lead the House, asserting its independence against the Democratic governor.

Barras was a last-minute surprise candidate in the race who emerged in the final hours before the vote. Edwards wanted Democratic Rep. Walt Leger of New Orleans in the role. It was the first test of the limits of Edwards' power.

Barras received 56 votes, while Leger got support from 49 members.

House Clerk Alfred "Butch" Speer says the last contested speaker's election was in 1984.

The Senate maintained its current president, Republican John Alario, but used a new secret ballot process to cast votes.