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7 months 2 days 10 hours ago Saturday, October 14 2023 Oct 14, 2023 October 14, 2023 8:59 AM October 14, 2023 in News
Source: WBRZ

Louisiana voters will try to select a new governor on Saturday, and if no candidate is named on more than 50 percent of the ballots, the top two finishers will square off in a winner-take-all runoff on Nov. 18.

Polls close statewide at 8 p.m. Get live results here as they come in.

Watch live election coverage on WBRZ+

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff:

Sid Gautreaux - 86%, 81,864 votes
Jeffry LaMonte Sanford - 14%, 13,556 votes

West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff: 

Jeff Bergeron - 44%, 4,361 votes 
Leo Fontenot - 30% 2,933 votes
Zach Simmers - 26% 2,604 votes 

West Baton Rouge Parish President: 

Jason Manola - 61%, 5,932 votes
Grover Harrison III - 39%, 3,769 votes

Ascension Parish President: 

Clint Cointment - 72%, 20,990 votes
Murphy Painter Sr. - 28%, 7,965 votes

Ascension Parish Sheriff: 

Bobby Webre - 87%, 25,163 votes
C.J. Matthews - 13%, 3,739 votes

Livingston Parish Sheriff: 

Jason Ard - 50%, 17,656 votes
Brett McMasters - 50%, 17,541 votes

Livingston Parish President: 

Randy Delatte - 71%, 24,918 votes
Jeff Ard - 29%, 10,155

Iberville Parish President: 

Chris Daigle - 53%, 5,959 votes
Mitch Ourso - 44%, 4,954 votes
Elmo Bosley - 3%, 299 votes

Gov. John Bel Edwards has served two terms and is not eligible for a third. More than a dozen candidates filed paperwork to replace him, though most of the attention has fallen on a half-dozen candidates with money, name recognition, or both.

Pre-election polling showed the race coming down to Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and former state transportation chief Shawn Wilson, from the Democratic Party. Other key candidates include independent Hunter Lundy, a Lake Charles lawyer; state Sen. Sharon Hewitt; state Treasurer John Schroder; and Stephen Waguespack, the former head of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.

This week, the Secretary of State's office reported that early voting turnout was just below 12%, not including mail-in and overseas ballots. The amount was about 40,000 fewer than the number of early voters in 2019, when Edwards, a Democrat, and Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone, a Republican, advanced to the runoff.

Five additional statewide races are on the ballot, along with state Senate and House seats. Legislators also sent four ballot issues for voters to consider. Polling locations are available on the state's Geaux Vote app and also at the Secretary of State's website here.

Billy Nungesser is seeking re-election at lieutenant governor against five challengers, and three other contested statewide races feature no incumbents.

Landry's attorney general post is sought by five candidates, including his deputy Liz Baker Murrill; John Stefanski, a Crowley state representative; New Orleans lawyer Lindsey Cheek; Baton Rouge lawyer Marty Maley and White Castle lawyer Perry Walker Terrebonne.

Two statewide offices were decided before voting: Mike Strain returns as the Louisiana commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry, and Tim Temple will be the state's new insurance commissioner.

Ballot issues include proposals that grew out of the 2020 headlines: one would bar outside funding of elections, such as that which occurred to help keep polling places open during the last presidential election. Another would let churches, synagogues and mosques remain open during periods of public emergencies, regardless of any risk to human health.

East Baton Rouge voters will also consider renewing an existing tax that funds emergency medical services. A number of sheriff's races and other local elections are on the ballot, too. 

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