Jeremy Alford and David Jacobs: Lieutenant governor aims to repair Canadian relations

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s namesake father was a major figure in the Louisiana Republican Party back when Democrats still dominated the state, serving as Gov. Dave Treen’s chief of staff and chairing the party from 1988-1992. 
The younger Nungesser ran for state rep in 1983, finishing third in the jungle primary behind two Democrats, including eventual winner Francis Heitmeier. 
“I swore I’d never run again,” Nungesser recalled. 
But after Hurricane Katrina, he ran for the open parish president position in Plaquemines Parish, edging out Democrat Amos Cormier Jr. with 51% of the vote. After reelection and hitting his two-term limit, he came up short against incumbent Jay Dardenne in his first race for lieutenant governor, but won on his second try in 2015 and has not been seriously challenged since. 
Tourism is his office’s main responsibility, and he has planned a trip to Canada later this year to promote the state. Our northern neighbor is Louisiana tourism’s biggest international market, but tariffs and President Donald Trump’s disrespect have caused fewer Canadians to visit. 
“They’re pretty upset about the president saying he wants to make it the 51st state,” Nungesser said. “It’s a market we desperately need to bring back.” 
But at the same time, “we believe they still love Louisiana,” he said. And as other states cut back their promotion budgets in Canada following the “51st state” fallout, now could be a good time for state and local officials to visit with Canadian tour operators and get people excited about booking trips to Louisiana again. 
Before the pandemic, Louisiana had five record-breaking years for tourism, Nungesser said. With about 44 million visitors last year, tourism slipped from fourth to fifth on the list of the state’s biggest industries, he said, adding that he was hopeful for a big 2025 following the Super Bowl and a successful Mardi Gras. 
“We’ve got a little bit of work to do on that international market,” Nungesser said, adding that Brazil could be a focus for next year. 
He said he generally supports the president, though he wishes the administration would ramp up tariffs gradually so domestic businesses have time to adjust. And he would like to see a path to citizenship for residents who are here illegally, but are otherwise law-abiding and willing to pay back taxes. 
Following the recent scare involving possibly radioactive shrimp from Indonesia, Nungesser has been making the media rounds to renew his call to impose a 10 cents per pound fee on imported seafood to fund hiring more inspectors. Less than 5% of imported seafood currently is inspected, and he would like to see that proportion rise to 50% or more. 
“I’m hoping that we can get our congressmen, [Majority Leader] Steve Scalise and [Speaker] Mike Johnson, to introduce it,” he said. “And then I can get [other] lieutenant governors to get their congressmen and senators to co-author the bill.” 
As for internal Louisiana politics, Nungesser said it’s too soon to say whether he will back anyone in the competitive Republican primary field for Senate. But he is adamant that the state shouldn’t be holding party primaries, which pushes candidates to cater to the most extreme elements of their parties, he argues.
He hopes Louisiana goes back to the open-primary system in the near future. 
“Maybe we could get a legislator brave enough to introduce this next year: Why don’t we let the people of Louisiana decide?” he said. “Why don’t we put it to a vote?”
Nungesser also plans to try again with his effort to rearrange governance for the state’s museum system, which he argues is in decline. Currently, oversight is split between his office and the secretary of state, and his proposal has put him in conflict with Secretary of State Nancy Landry. (Read more about that in LaPolitics.)
As part of his office’s anti-littering efforts, he supported legislation this year to ban releasing balloons outdoors. Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed the bill, arguing in part that it would be difficult to enforce, though Nungesser would like to bring the proposal back next year. 
“We pass a lot of laws that are very tough to enforce,” Nungesser said. “I think if it’s a law that you can’t release balloons, most people will follow the law.” 
He also is seeking public-private partnerships to build an “environmentally friendly” resort conference center next to Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville. The idea attracted staunch opposition when he floated it back in 2020, which he blames on the misconception that a casino would be part of the project. 
He said a comparable facility in Alabama pays expenses for all the state’s parks, and argues his proposal could do the same in Louisiana, where an infusion of new revenue would be extremely helpful.
“They took 10 million out of my operating budget this year,” he said.
New Orleans is the state’s biggest tourism draw, and Nungesser has not been shy about criticizing local officials. He argues that Mayor LaToya Cantrell should step down as she fights corruption charges reduce the negative attention on the city. 
“Step aside so we can focus on fixing this city with whoever the new mayor is coming in, and take the negative light off New Orleans and the state of Louisiana,” he said. 
Nungesser himself has been accused of corruption over the years, including FBI probes of his office as parish president and lieutenant governor, which he has blamed on political rivals. 
“The FBI never tells you ‘we’re finished with the investigation,’” he said, when asked if the most recent inquiry has been put to bed. He added that he “made my money in the oil field” and didn’t get into politics to line his own pockets. 
“Anytime anybody wants to report me for anything, I open my books to anybody, because I don’t do anything wrong,” he said. 
Nungesser said he’s currently planning to run for reelection. He flirted with a run for governor in 2023, and when asked if he might seek that office after Gov. Landry’s theoretical second term, he said he isn’t planning on it. “I’d be 70-something years old,” he said. “You know, you never want to say never.”
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