BATON ROUGE — Jeff Landry plans to stand by the promises he made to voters during his journey to the Louisiana Attorney General’s office.
The former U.S. Representative beat out two-term incumbent Buddy Caldwell when he won the election on Nov. 21.
Since the election, Landry has been transitioning into the new role he assumes in January with the same clarity he had during his campaign. Landry said that as attorney general, his focus is on conducting business in an honorable manner.
"We are going to run an honest, ethical and hardworking office,” Landry told the Louisiana Record. “We will do the people's business in an open and transparent manner that makes the Department of Justice a great agency for our state."
Victory for the tea party favorite came after claims from Caldwell’s campaign that Landry’s legal experience wasn’t sufficient enough to successfully run the highest legal office of the state.
During his campaign, Landry shot down the notion that he lacked experience and the people of Louisiana seemed to agree with the attorney general-elect when they headed to the polls to vote in the all-Republican race.
The expectations for the attorney general’s office are very high. Amid reports that there had been questions raised by the public regarding the integrity of the attorney general’s office in previous years, Landry assured the people of Louisiana throughout his campaign that his office would run at the highest ethical standard.
When Landry received the Republican endorsement over Caldwell by Republican Party leaders in July, many were surprised since it is more likely for a party to support an incumbent running for re-election. Landry believes winning the election against the two-term incumbent, and former Democrat, was a clear indication that voters were ready for change.
"The voters of Louisiana wanted to end the old-school politics of Louisiana’s past," Landry said. "They recognized the need for change to clean up our legal environment and get Louisiana back to work."
Many have called Landry to closely monitor the actions of Gov.-Elect John Bel Edwards, who some have criticized for being out of touch with Louisiana voters and supporting President Barak Obama’s political agenda. Landry responded to the notion by reassuring voters that he is dedicated to working with members of both parties to make Louisiana the best state it can be.
"As I did in Congress, I will work with Republicans and Democrats to make Louisiana a better place to live, work and raise our families,” he promised. “I will have an open-door policy to anyone who wants to reduce crime, stop corruption and hold elected officials accountable."
Landry has launched a transition website to provide important updates and information on his upcoming inauguration. He said on the website that he will “treat everybody fairly and equally so all citizens can develop trust that their government is there to work for them, not against them."
So what’s Landry’s first order of business as attorney general?
"We are putting our team together to fight federal overreach, defend our values, support economic liberty and make our communities safer," Landry said.
Landry’s inauguration will be held on Jan. 11.