BATON ROUGE - Former president Donald Trump is expected to launch a bid to return to the White House when he speaks at his Palm Beach, Fla., estate Tuesday night -- something being watched closely by those involved in Louisiana politics.

Trump wields significant influence in local Republican circles.

In 2022, his endorsements included that of incumbent U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, who won a second term with ease, and of U.S. representatives Steve Scalise, Clay Higgins and Mike Johnson (all of whom were reelected).

Trump also backed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow in the 2021 special election that gave her the seat previously won by her late husband.

And while Trump himself has yet to weigh in on the still-developing 2023 race for governor in Louisiana, his son, Donald Trump Jr., has publicly backed Attorney General Jeff Landry -- the first major candidate to declare his intentions.

Trump had hoped to use the GOP’s expected gains in last week's elections as a springboard to vault himself to his party’s nomination by locking in early support to keep potential challengers at bay. Instead, he now finds himself being blamed for backing a slate of losing candidates after disappointing results in which Democrats retained control of the Senate and House control remains too early to call.

“Hopefully, tomorrow will turn out to be one of the most important days in the history of our Country!” Trump wrote on his social media network on Monday. An announcement was expected at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday from his club in Palm Beach.

In his unsuccessful reelection bid in 2020, Trump received nearly 59 percent of the Louisiana vote.

Locally, Trump lost East Baton Rouge parish by 13 points, but dominated in the two biggest suburban parishes, Livingston and Ascension.