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Governor of Louisiana
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The Governor of the State of Louisiana is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Louisiana. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a majority and is limited to two consecutive terms.[1]
Louisiana has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.
Louisiana has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current Governor of Louisiana is Jeff Landry (R). Landry assumed office in 2024.
Authority
The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.
Under Article IV, Section 5(A):
|
The governor shall be the chief executive officer of the state.[1] |
Qualifications
Under Article IV, Section 2, a candidate for governor is required to:
- have attained the age of 25 years
- be an elector
- have been a citizen of the United States, and,
- have been a citizen of Louisiana for at least the preceding five years.
The term of office of the Governor of Louisiana is four years. During her or his tenure in office, a statewide elected official shall hold no other public office.[1]
Elections
Louisiana is one of the handful of states that hold off-year elections, that is, elections in off-numbered years that are neither presidential nor midterm years. In Louisiana's case, elections are held in the year after a midterm and before a presidential; thus, 2015, 2019, 2023, and 2027 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the inauguration is always held the second Monday in January after an election.
Term limits
- See also: States with gubernatorial term limits
Louisiana governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.
Louisiana Constitution, Section IV, Section 3b
| A person who has served as governor for more than one and one-half terms in two consecutive terms shall not be elected governor for the succeeding term.[1] |
Partisan composition
The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Louisiana governors from 1992 to 2013.
2027
- See also: Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2027
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
Past elections
Vacancies
- See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled
Details of vacancies are addressed under Article IV, Section 14.
When a vacancy occurs in the office of governor, the order of succession shall be:
(1) the elected lieutenant governor,
(2) the elected secretary of state,
(3) the elected attorney general,
(4) the elected treasurer,
(5) the presiding officer of the Senate,
(6) the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, and then
(7) as provided by law.
The successor shall serve the remainder of the term for which the governor was elected.
Duties
The governor has the right to grant reprieves, issue pardons, commute sentences, and return fines and forfeitures for crimes against the state. In this role, the governor serves as the court of last resort.
Additionally the governor serves as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the state, except when they are called into service of the federal government. He or she may call these forces to preserve law and order, to suppress insurrection, to repel invasion, or in other times of emergency.
At the outset of each regular legislative session, the governor must give an address to the General Assembly, including the condition of the state and its finances. The governor may also include recommendations in his or her address and make such addresses at other times, such as the commencement of an extraordinary session.
The governor also submits a budget to the legislature and may compel reports from department heads on any matter, save investigations into the governor's office.[1]
Other duties and privileges of the office include:
- A line-item veto
- The power to make appointments, including recess appointments, with Senate confirmation
- Removing, at pleasure, any appointees who are currently serving
Divisions
- Updated January 17, 2021
- Chief of Staff's Office
- Deputy Chiefs of Staff
- Special Assistants to the Governor
- Communications and Press
- Constituent Services
- Legal
- Legislative Affairs
- Policy
- Programs and Planning
- Governor's Office of Coastal Activities
- Boards and Commissions
- Finance and Administration[3]
State budget
Role in state budget
- See also: Louisiana state budget and finances
The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is:[4]
- Budget instructions are sent to state agencies by September 20.
- State agencies submit their budget requests by November 15.
- The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature 45 days before the legislature convenes. (Newly elected governors have until 30 days before the legislature convenes.)
- The legislature typically adopts a budget in June. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.[5] The fiscal year begins July 1.
Louisiana is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[4][6]
The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the legislature must pass a balanced budget.[4]
Governor's office budget
The Executive Office's budget for fiscal year 2025 was $22,735,328.[7]
Compensation
The salary of the governor, along with the rest of Louisiana's elected executives, is determined by the Louisiana State Legislature. Article IV, Section 4 requires that changes in compensation take effect in the term after they were passed.[1]
Louisiana Constitution, Article IV, Section 4
| Compensation Section 4. Except as otherwise provided by this constitution, the compensation of each statewide elected official shall be provided by law. An increase in the salary of a statewide elected official shall not become effective until the commencement of the subsequent term for that office following the adoption or enactment of the increase.[1] |
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $125,185, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2021
In 2021, the governor received a salary of $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2020
In 2020, the governor received a salary of $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2019
In 2019, the governor received a salary of $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2018
In 2018, the governor received a salary of $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2017
In 2017, the governor received a salary of $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2016
In 2016, the governor received a salary of $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2015
In 2015, the governor received a salary was $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2014
In 2014, the governor earned a salary of $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2013
In 2013, the governor's salary remained at $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2012
In 2012, the governor was paid an estimated $130,000, according to the Council of State Governments.
2010
In 2010, the governor was paid $130,000 a year, the 24th highest gubernatorial salary in America at the time.
Historical officeholders
There are eight governing periods in Louisiana history:[19]
- French Period - 1699-1766
- Spanish Period - 1766-1803
- French Interim Period - 11/30 - 12/20/1803
- Statehood/Antebellum Period - 1812-1861
- Confederate Governors - 1861-1865
- United States Wartime Military Governors - 1862-1865
- Military Occupation Period - 1865-1877
- Governors Since 1877
The following chart details the last period. From 1877 to 2019, there have been 29 governors. Of those, four were Republicans and 25 were Democrats.
Click "show" for former officeholders.
| Number | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Francis T. Nicholls | 1877 | 1880 | Democrat |
| 29 | Louis Alfred Wiltz | 1880 | 1881 | Democrat |
| 30 | Samuel Douglas McEnery | 1881 | 1888 | Democrat |
| 28 | Francis T. Nicholls | 1888 | 1892 | Democrat |
| 31 | Murphy James Foster | 1892 | 1900 | Democrat |
| 32 | William Wright Heard | 1900 | 1904 | Democrat |
| 33 | Newton C. Blanchard | 1904 | 1908 | Democrat |
| 34 | Jared Y. Sanders | 1908 | 1912 | Democrat |
| 35 | Luther E. Hall | 1912 | 1916 | Democrat |
| 36 | Ruffin G. Pleasant | 1916 | 1920 | Democrat |
| 37 | John M. Parker | 1920 | 1924 | Democrat |
| 38 | Henry L. Fuqua | 1924 | 1926 | Democrat |
| 39 | Oramel H. Simpson | 1926 | 1928 | Democrat |
| 40 | Huey P. Long | 1928 | 1932 | Democrat |
| 41 | Alvin O. King | 1932 | 1932 | Democrat |
| 42 | Oscar K. Allen | 1932 | 1936 | Democrat |
| 43 | James A. Noe | 1936 | 1936 | Democrat |
| 44 | Richard W. Leche | 1936 | 1939 | Democrat |
| 45 | Earl K. Long | 1939 | 1940 | Democrat |
| 46 | Sam H. Jones | 1940 | 1944 | Democrat |
| 47 | Jimmie H. Davis | 1944 | 1948 | Democrat |
| 45 | Earl K. Long | 1948 | 1952 | Democrat |
| 48 | Robert F. Kennon | 1952 | 1956 | Democrat |
| 45 | Earl K. Long | 1956 | 1960 | Democrat |
| 47 | Jimmie H. Davis | 1960 | 1964 | Democrat |
| 49 | John J. McKeithen | 1964 | 1972 | Democrat |
| 50 | Edwin W. Edwards | 1972 | 1980 | Democrat |
| 51 | David C. Treen | 1980 | 1984 | Republican |
| 50 | Edwin W. Edwards | 1984 | 1988 | Democrat |
| 52 | Charles E. "Buddy" Roemer, III | 1988 | 1992 | Republican |
| 50 | Edwin W. Edwards | 1992 | 1996 | Democrat |
| 53 | Murphy J. "Mike" Foster | 1996 | 2004 | Republican |
| 54 | Kathleen Babineaux Blanco | 2004 | 2008 | Democrat |
| 55 | Bobby Jindal | 2008 | 2016 | Republican |
| 56 | John Bel Edwards | 2016 | 2024 | Democrat |
| 57 | Jeff Landry | 2024 | Present | Republican |
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992 to 2013, in Louisiana there were Democratic governors in office for eight years while there were Republican governors in office for 14 years, including the last six. Louisiana was under Republican trifectas for the last three years of the study period.
Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82 percent) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27 percent) from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Louisiana, the Louisiana State Senate and the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
.PNG)
SQLI and partisanship
The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Kentucky state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Louisiana has had three periods of trifectas, two Democratic trifectas (1992 to 1995 and 2004 to 2007) and one Republican trifecta (2011 to 2013). Louisiana had its longest period of divided government between 1996 and 2003. For all but two years of the study, Louisiana has ranked in the bottom-10 in the SQLI ranking and only left the bottom-10 in the last two years of the study, 2011 and 2012. The state’s lowest ranking came in 1993 and 1994 under a Democratic trifecta. Its highest ranking (36th) came in 2012 under a Republican trifecta.
- SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 46.25
- SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 38.00
- SQLI average with divided government: 45.73
State profile
| Demographic data for Louisiana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,668,960 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 43,204 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 62.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 32.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 4.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 83.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 22.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $45,047 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 23.3% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Louisiana. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Louisiana
Louisiana voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Louisiana coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Louisiana
- United States congressional delegations from Louisiana
- Public policy in Louisiana
- Endorsers in Louisiana
- Louisiana fact checks
- More...
Contact information
Office of the Governor
PO Box 94004
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
Phone (front desk):
- 225-342-7015
- 866-366-1121
Phone (constituent help line):
- 225-342-0991
- 844-860-1413
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Louisiana State Senate, "Constitution of Louisiana," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Louisiana gubernatorial liveblog thread #3," November 21, 2015
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Administration," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
- ↑ For budgets with one-time money, two-thirds of elected House members must approve for it to pass.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "House Bill No. 1," accessed January 17, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries," January 17, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "The Governors of Louisiana," accessed January 17, 2021, Office of the Governor,Meet the Governor," accessed January 17, 2021
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