Louisiana state politics

Louisiana was in the national spotlight again this week when Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana’s 4th District, was elected as the next speaker of the house.

Every Friday, politics reporter Molly Ryan rounds up the news of the week from the campaign trail and beyond. Today: A debate preview, registration deadline for the primary and political stories from around the state.

Change is coming to the Louisiana Department of Insurance as the state grapples with a deepening homeowners insurance crisis in the wake of fierce and frequent storms.

Louisiana gubernatorial race is picking up as candidates released their first campaign ads this week since officially qualifying.

Early voting begins Tuesday, just two weeks before Election Day. Key races include all six congressional seats, a competitive state senate race in New Orleans and a U.S. Senate race featuring a number of challengers vying to replace incumbent Republican Senator John Kennedy. And there are eight proposed statewide amendments that voters will be able to weigh in on.

A Baton Rouge judge has denied Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s request to have the state’s abortion ban go into effect pending his appeal of last week’s loss in court, meaning that abortion will stay legal in Louisiana – for now.

The qualifying period for the Nov. 8 congressional and state elections concluded Friday at 4:30 p.m. See candidates who will be on your ballot this fall.

As the Legislature adjourned Monday, Gov. John Bel Edwards expressed his support for the investments in education and infrastructure, including a teacher pay raise of $1,500 and $300 million toward a new Mississippi River bridge. But he also announced that he would acquiesce in one area that he has disagreed with Republican lawmakers saying he would allow a bill that prohibits transgender athletes from competing according to their gender identity to become law without his signature.

Today, the state House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to advance a package of spending bills, including the operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. But the House version of the bill has drawn some criticism from Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Louisiana just lost a highly liberal, yet somewhat divisive, voice in the state Senate.