BATON ROUGE - Gov.-elect Jeff Landry took the oath of office as Louisiana's top elected official Sunday, holding inauguration ceremonies a day earlier than previously scheduled to avoid bad weather.

While Landry swore to uphold and protect the state and U.S. constitutions, and gave an address setting the theme for his  term, he doesn't become governor officially until midday Monday. Under the state constitution, power transfers at noon on the second Monday in January. The same is true for each other statewide officeholder. 

Landry will become Louisiana's 57th governor Monday. He defeated former state transportation secretary Shawn Wilson and a handful of other candidates last October, taking 52 percent of the vote in the primary and avoiding a runoff.

After Democrats held the governor's office almost exclusively since Reconstruction, Landry is the fourth Republican elected to the post as a Republican. Dave Treen won in 1979, Mike Foster won in 1991 and Bobby Jindal won in 2007.

Buddy Roemer was elected as a Democrat in 1997 but changed parties while in office. He was not re-elected.

The Storm Prediction Center says southeastern Louisiana will have an enhanced risk of severe weather Monday, when the inauguration ceremonies were initially set. The area has a chance of high winds and tornadoes along a squall line late in the day.