NRA joins Trump in pick for Louisiana election that could be GOP test for 2024

FIRST ON FOX: The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced its endorsement of Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry for governor Tuesday, citing the Republican’s "unwavering commitment" to protecting the Second Amendment.

"Jeff Landry's unwavering commitment to expanding and fiercely guarding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Louisianans is unparalleled. His ambition for Louisiana as an NRA Constitutional Carry state coupled with his proven track record makes our decision clear," NRA Political Victory Fund, the gun rights group’s political action committee, Chairman Randy Kozuch exclusively told Fox News Digital. 

"The National Rifle Association is proud to bestow upon Jeff our highest endorsement for Governor with an A+ rating," Kozuch continued. 

The state’s gubernatorial election is in full swing, with 16 candidates running in the primary that will take place on Oct. 14. Louisiana uses a majority-vote system, meaning all candidates will appear on the same ballot, and one candidate can win outright if they receive 50% of the vote. If no candidate commands a majority in October, the top two candidates go on to a runoff election on Nov. 18.

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Landry is leading in the race, including against who is seen as his top Democratic challenger, former Louisiana Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson, various polls show. The current governor, Democrat John Bel Edwards, is term-limited and cannot run for re-election.

Landry has received support from a handful of Republicans in the state amid his gubernatorial run, as well as an endorsement from former President Trump in May, who called the Louisianian a "fantastic attorney general" who "wants to stop crime."

Louisiana, along with a handful of other states such as Kentucky and Mississippi, are holding gubernatorial elections this year and could serve as a bellwether ahead of the 2024 presidential election. 

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"As Attorney General, you worked to protect and expand the right to self-defense by calling on Congress to pass national concealed carry reciprocity. You petitioned the United States Supreme Court to uphold gun owners' rights in NYSRPA v. Bruen. And you unapologetically stood with gun owners and sportsmen in Louisiana by joining every important legal effort to protect the Second Amendment," the NRA said in its letter to Landry on Tuesday informing him of their endorsement. 

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Landry has a long history of working to protect gun rights, including joining other attorneys general earlier this year in suing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) over a rule regulating stabilizing braces and leading a coalition of state AGs in speaking out against California’s 2021 ban on ten-plus capacity magazines. He also supported the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 and the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, which would allow qualified Americans to carry a concealed handgun in other states that allow concealed carry. 

Landry previously served as congressman in Louisiana, where he held a 100% NRA voting record, before assuming the office of attorney general in 2016. 

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Landry is only one of two Republicans who have held the Louisiana Attorney General position in the last 147 years. Landry’s predecessor, James D. "Buddy" Caldwell, was elected as a Democrat in 2008 before switching parties in 2011. Before Caldwell, Democrats had held the position since 1876. 

The Louisiana Republican’s history of supporting the Second Amendment is steeped in his hunting and fishing activities, which is underscored by his annual "Jeff Landry Alligator Hunt" event, including last year when he first hinted at the fundraising event he was launching a gubernatorial bid. 

"Critically, you have also stood against anti-gun zealots, refusing to bend to their calls for gun control as an ineffective means to reduce violent crime. Clearly, if elected the next governor of Louisiana, you will continue to stand against those who seek to diminish our freedoms by ultimately destroying the Second Amendment and our Right to Keep and Bear Arms," the NRA's letter to Landry added.