Longtime CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Stephen Waguespack has joined the field of Republican hopefuls in this year’s governor’s race, a move that could put more focus on economic issues.
Waguespack, who has been at LABI’s helm for a decade, joins several announced candidates, including state Attorney General Jeff Landry, state Sen. Sharon Hewitt (R-Slidell), state Rep. Richard Nelson (R-Mandeville) and state Treasurer John Schroder. The former state transportation secretary, Shawn Wilson, who has the endorsement of Gov. John Bel Edwards, is the only Democrat in the race.
Waguespack resigned his LABI post on March 9. The LABI board’s chairman, Jude Melville, said in a statement that Waguespack’s most tangible legacy is the establishment of the association’s Center for Free Enterprise. LABI represents 2,200 businesses statewide.
Prior to taking the position at LABI, Waguespack served as a senior advisor and chief of staff to former Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal, and he also spent about 10 years working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Robert Collins, a professor of urban studies and public policy at Dillard University, said Waguespack’s first order of business will be to introduce himself to Louisiana voters. Unlike Landry and state lawmakers running for governor, Waguespack doesn’t have a large base of supporters, Collins said.
“I think he's going to have some issues because he doesn't have any name recognition outside of the political class right now,” he told the Louisiana Record. “... He will have to spend a lot of money to get name recognition before he can start disseminating his message and see whether his message starts resonating with the voters.”
In contrast, Landry has been running for the position and fundraising for a year, giving him a potential leg up over other hopefuls. That could make things more of a challenge for later arrivals, such as Waguespack, according to Collins.
“He should have made this decision six months ago,” Collins said. “... It's kind of too little, too late right now. He’s kind of jammed himself up and put himself in a difficult position.”
Democrat Wilson, meanwhile, could corral up to 40% of the vote in Louisiana “jungle primary,” where candidates of all parties vie in a single contest, Collins said. The top two vote-getters in the October primary would then advance to the general election.
“He’s pretty much secured his spot in the runoff,” Collins said, provided no other Democrats enter the race.