Jeff Landry running for state attorney general

Lafayette – Former U.S. Congressman, New Iberia attorney and St. Martinville native Jeff Landry has announced his candidacy for state attorney general.

The election will be held in the fall of 2015.

“Louisiana’s next attorney general not only needs to operate the office in a fiscally responsible and professional manner, our next attorney general also needs to be an advocate for the citizens of Louisiana,” said Landry.

“Time and time again we are seeing major public policy decisions driven into our courts both with expensive mandates from Washington bureaucrats to other issues here at home. I look forward to putting my proven conservative principles to work for the people of Louisiana as our next attorney general.”

Landry, a Republican and an influential member of the Tea Party Caucus, defeated the former speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, Hunt Downer, for the 3rd Congressional District seat abandoned by Charlie Melancon in a futile attempt to unseat U.S. Sen. David Vitter in 2010. Two year later, with Louisiana losing a congressional district due to population losses from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Landry was tossed into a race with another incumbent – and another Republican – Charles Boustany, who emerged victorious.

During his tenure in Congress, Landry made his mark as a staunch advocate for the oil and gas industry, gaining national attention by holding up a DRILLING = JOBS sign during President Barack Obama’s address to the joint session in September 2011.

Landry, who has been a law enforcement officer and a soldier, received his law degree from Loyola University. He also holds a bachelor of science in environmental and sustainable resources with a minor in biology from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.