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Former President Donald Trump is backing Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry's bid for governor, giving the GOP frontrunner a big boost ahead of this fall's election.
Landry's campaign revealed the announcement in a social media post featuring a video of Trump standing alongside Landry while endorsing him.
"He has been a fantastic attorney general, he wants to stop campaign. He loves the people of Louisiana just like I do," Trump says.
Landry had already been seen as the frontrunner in a crowded field that includes state Treasurer John Schroder, state Senator Sharon Hewitt and state Rep. Richard Nelson. Along with Trump's backing, Landry has already been endorsed by the state Republican Party, among others.
Louisiana's November elections give Republicans a great chance to take back control of the governorship after eight years of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is term-limited. Former state Department of Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson is the Democratic frontrunner.
The state holds what's called a "jungle primary," where candidates run on one ballot in November regardless of party. If no candidate wins a majority then, which is likely, the top two candidates move on to a runoff.