Jeff Landry

Jeffrey Martin Landry (born December 23, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2024 as the 57th governor of Louisiana. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2016 to 2024 as the 45th attorney general of Louisiana and from 2011 to 2013 as the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. Born in St. Martinville, Louisiana, Landry graduated from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. He was a member of the Louisiana National Guard, which he joined while in high school, for 11 years. While in college, Landry worked as a police officer and sheriff's deputy. He ran for a seat in the Louisiana State Senate in 2007 but narrowly lost. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, serving one term. Landry defeated incumbent Louisiana attorney general Buddy Caldwell in 2015, and was reelected in 2019 with over 66% of the vote. During his tenure, he supported Louisiana's abortion ban, advocated for prayer in public schools, and pushed back against Governor John Bel Edwards's administration's advocacy of LGBTQ rights. Landry won the 2023 Louisiana gubernatorial election with a majority of the vote in the first round. As governor, he has signed several criminal justice bills, as well as legislation allowing the carrying of concealed weapons without a permit. He signed legislation requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school classrooms. A preliminary court injunction blocked the law for violating the Establishment Clause. On February 20, 2026, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals vacated that ruling by a 12 to 6 vote, allowing the law to be implemented while challenges are pending.