Roses first, then running: Nungesser plans announcement after New Year's Day

FRANKLIN — Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser will spend New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California. Sometime after that, Nungesser will announce whether he will run for governor.

The two events aren’t completely unrelated.

Talking to reporters Tuesday before speaking to the Franklin Rotary Club at The Forest, Nungesser said his announcement will probably come after the Tournament of Roses Parade.

The parade will include a float carrying 20 fair and festival queens from Louisiana, including Jordan Gallegos, queen of this year’s Shrimp and Petroleum Festival.

Nungesser anticipates media interviews in connection with that event, and said he doesn’t want to appear to be campaigning for governor at taxpayers’ expense.

Nungesser, a former Plaquemines Parish president, was in the media limelight even before his election as lieutenant governor. He was widely quoted and interviewed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and again after the BP oil spill in 2010.

Nungesser, a Republican, is considered a likely candidate to succeed Gov. John Bel Edwards, who will finish his second term in January 2024. Another
potential candidate is Attorney General Jeff Landry of New Iberia.

Republican members of the Louisiana congressional delegation are also reported to be considering gubernatorial campaigns, depending on the outcome of this year’s mid-term elections.

In the meantime, Nungesser is tending to the lieutenant governor’s most visible duty: promoting Louisiana culture and tourism.

The Rose Parade means exposure for Louisiana and its culture, Nungesser said, pointing to last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York, when Louisiana’s alligator float was seen by an audience of nearly 1.5 billion people.

A promotional spot on Times Square TV screens showed a close-up of an alligator’s eye with the message Louisiana is coming.

That was a boost for a tourism industry that had grown in each of five consecutive years before COVID-19, Nungesser said.

“We could use a little shot in the arm, no pun intended, coming out of COVID,” Nungesser said.

Nungesser also promoted several grant programs that can help promote tourism:

—The Louisiana Main Street Restoration Program for buildings at least 50 years old in recognized Main Street districts.

—The Competitive Grant Program for fairs, festivals and other grants that bring people to the state.

—Competitive Marketing Program, which offers funds to convention and visitors bureaus for advertising and media.

—Music Ambassador Program, which offers a stipend for musicians who perform at qualifying events.