Billy Nungesser

Last updated

Nungesser in 2011 Billy Nungesser by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Nungesser in 2011

In 2011, Nungesser waged an unsuccessful race to unseat Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne. Dardenne, a fellow Republican, had been a state senator from Baton Rouge and the Louisiana secretary of state; he had been elected in 2010 to the final year of one-year unexpired term created when Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu was elected the Mayor of New Orleans.

Dardenne received 504,228 votes (53.1 percent) to Nungesser's 444,750 (46.9 percent). Nungesser won in seventeen parishes, all in south Louisiana, including Orleans, Iberia, Jefferson, Lafayette, and St. Bernard, as well as Plaquemines Parish, his former residence. [19]

2015 election

Nungesser ran again for lieutenant governor in 2015. Dardenne did not seek reelection but ran instead for governor.

In his campaign, Nungesser said that his business and political experience made him ideal to manage the state tourism industry, the principal function of the Lieutenant Governor's office. His sentimental political advertisements used background music from the song "You Are My Sunshine" by the late Democratic Governor Jimmie Davis.

Nungesser finished second in the primary election with 324,654 votes (30 percent), setting him up for the run-off against Kip Holden, the African-American Democratic Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish, who led the four-candidate field with 360,679 votes (33.3 percent). In a strong third-place was Republican John Young, the president of Jefferson Parish, who received 313,183 votes (28.9 percent). Departing African-American Republican State Senator Elbert Guillory of Opelousas ran last with 85,460 votes (7.9 percent). [20]

Nungesser won the 2015 general election, 628,864 votes (55.38 percent) to Holden's 506,578 (44.62 percent). Democrat John Bel Edwards won the gubernatorial race over Republican U.S. Senator David Vitter. [21] Edwards and Nungesser, of opposite parties, assumed office on January 11, 2016.

Tenure

Shortly after taking office, Nungesser named Robert J. Barham of Morehouse Parish, the former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries under former Governor Jindal, as the new director of state parks and historic sites. Nungesser became acquainted with Barham when the two worked closely together in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. [22]

In April 2016, Nungesser's communications director, Kriss Fairbairn Fortunato quit her position, saying that "It was not a comfortable environment and not a good fit"; she was returned full-time to her private communications company. Fortunato left Nungesser's office a week before The Baton Rouge Advocate published a story about how Nungesser and state Republican chairman Roger Villere had attempted to negotiate an unusual oil trade deal with Iraq. Nungesser signed letters in the negotiations invoking the name of Governor Edwards but never informed Edwards of the idea which he and Villere were promoting. [23]

In July 2016, Nungesser said that he believes voter fraud by the Democratic Party was still a serious hurdle for Republicans in Louisiana. Nungesser said that in local elections in his native Plaquemines Parish and also in 2015 elections statewide, registered and unregistered voters had shown up by the busload at early voting sites, signed a sheet of paper, and had their votes count. Secretary of State Tom Schedler, a fellow Republican, called Nungesser's comments "at a minimum uninformed. [He] quite possibly [made] an insult to not only my office, but also our hard-working clerks of court and registrars of voters who are our trusted partners for every election." Nungesser said his comments were taken out of context because he was referring to a local election in Plaquemines Parish in 2005. He said that he admired how Schedler handled the office of Secretary of State. [24]

In April 2017, Nungesser was accused of "political interference" in the operation of the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans. Timothy Joseph "Tim" Chester, the interim director of the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans, resigned in a public dispute with Nungesser. Chester said that Nungesser had used an apartment at the Lower Pontalba Building in Jackson Square as well as space in other state museum buildings in the French Quarter for Nungesser's personal convenience. He also accused the lieutenant governor of interfering in the operation of the museum. Nungesser said that Chester had not been moving with sufficient speed to find a permanent director or to implement Nungesser's recommendations regarding the museum, which includes historic buildings in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge and was operated by the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, an agency overseen by the lieutenant governor. The museum, however, also has a semi-independent operating board. [25]

Nungesser opposed the removal of Confederate monuments honoring Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Pierre G.T. Beauregard from Lee Circle in New Orleans. With only one dissent, the New Orleans City Council agreed with the request of Mayor Mitch Landrieu to remove the monuments. In a 2017 letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, Nungesser asked that executive power be exerted under the Antiquities Act of 1906, by which the chief executive can "declare by public proclamation, historic and prehistoric structures and other objects of historic significance as national monuments." [26] Trump did not reply.

Nungesser called upon Landrieu to transfer the four monuments to the jurisdiction of the Department of Recreation, Culture, and Tourism, under Nungesser's jurisdiction. Instead, Landrieu planned to place the monuments up for competitive bidding. Nungesser said that he would make an offer for the monuments but needed state legislative approval. [27]

In 2017, Nungesser proposed that public-private partnerships be established for many of the financially strapped state parks under his jurisdiction, particularly citing two popular facilities in Sabine Parish: North Toledo Bend State Park and Hodges Gardens State Park. At the parks, operating costs vastly exceeded revenues from the $1 park admission fees. [28]

In July 2018, Nungesser appeared on a radio program to reject claims by the more conservative members of his party that he has become a "Republican in Name Only" (RINO) because he is "too friendly" with Democratic Governor Edwards. Nungesser said that state officials must work together, and "I think sometimes the political maneuvering gets in the way of what’s best for the state." Nungesser noted that by working with Edwards, he saved a $17 million appropriation for the state park system, preventing closures and layoffs. [29]

2019 and 2023 re–elections

Nungesser was re-elected to a second term as lieutenant governor on October 12, 2019 and a third term on October 14, 2023.

Personal life

Nungesser has a younger brother, Eric, and two sisters, Nancy and Heidi. [30]

After his second term as parish president, Nungesser relocated to River Ranch in Lafayette Parish. He then moved to Plaquemines Parish with his wife.

In 2022, his Plaquemines house was burglarized and partially burned, with the robbers making off with political and sports memorabilia. Nungesser stated afterwards that he intended to sell the house and move. [31]

Electoral history

Billy Nungesser
Billy Nungesser 2018.jpg
54th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
Assumed office
January 11, 2016
Plaquemines Parish President Election, 2006
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanBilly Nungesser4,09651
DemocraticAmos Cormier, Jr. (inc.)3,92049
Plaquemines Parish President Election, 2010
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanBilly Nungesser (inc.)5,63271
DemocraticAmos Cormier, Jr.1,77222
IndependentBenny Rousselle4996
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Election, 2011
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanJay Dardenne (inc.)504,45153
RepublicanBilly Nungesser445,04947
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Election, 2015
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticMelvin "Kip" Holden361,09233
RepublicanBilly Nungesser324,84930
RepublicanJohn Young313,36429
RepublicanElbert Lee Guillory85,5208
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Runoff Election, 2015
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanBilly Nungesser628,87655
DemocraticMelvin "Kip" Holden506,64045
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Election, 2019
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanBilly Nungesser884,30968
DemocraticWillie Jones413,55632

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana</span> Parish in Louisiana, United States

Plaquemines Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 23,515 at the 2020 census, the parish seat is Pointe à la Hache and the largest community is Belle Chasse. The parish was formed in 1807.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Hayes</span> American politician

James Alison Hayes is an American politician and lawyer. He is a Republican from Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy Kershaw</span> American singer-songwriter

Samuel Paul Kershaw is an American country music artist. He has released 16 studio albums, with three RIAA platinum certifications and two gold certifications among them. More than 25 singles have entered the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including his only number one hit "She Don't Know She's Beautiful" and 10 more Top 10 hits: "Cadillac Style", "Anywhere but Here", "Haunted Heart", "Queen of My Double-Wide Trailer", "I Can't Reach Her Anymore", "National Working Woman's Holiday", "Third Rate Romance", "Meant to Be", "Vidalia", and "Love of My Life".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Landrieu</span> American politician (born 1960)

Mitchell Joseph Landrieu is an American lawyer and politician who served as Mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 2004 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kip Holden</span> American politician

Melvin Lee "Kip" Holden, is an American politician who served from 2005 to 2016 as the Democratic Mayor-President of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The parish includes the state capital of Baton Rouge and smaller suburban cities such as Baker, Central City, and Zachary.

Walter Joseph Boasso is an American businessman and Democratic former state senator from Chalmette, the seat of government of St. Bernard Parish in south Louisiana. He was defeated in a bid for governor in the October 20, 2007, nonpartisan blanket primary by the Republican Bobby Jindal. Boasso won 47 percent in his own St. Bernard Parish, his sole plurality showing in any of his state's sixty-four parishes. From 2004 to 2008, Boasso represented Senate District 1, which includes parts of Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany parishes, many of those areas having been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Dardenne</span> 53rd Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana

John Leigh "Jay" Dardenne, Jr. is an American lawyer and politician from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as commissioner of administration for Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards. A Republican, Dardenne previously served as the 53rd lieutenant governor of his state from 2010 to 2016. Running as a Republican, he won a special election for lieutenant governor held in conjunction with the regular November 2, 2010 general election. At the time, Dardenne was Louisiana secretary of state. Formerly, Dardenne was a member of the Louisiana State Senate for the Baton Rouge suburbs, a position he filled from 1992 until his election as secretary of state on September 30, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Louisiana</span> Politics of a U.S. state

The politics of Louisiana involve political parties, laws and the state constitution, and the many other groups that influence the governance of the state. The state was a one-party Deep South state dominated by the Democratic Party from the end of Reconstruction to the 1960s, forming the backbone of the "Solid South." This was due to the near-total disenfranchisement of the state's large African-American population during this time, who mostly voted Republican. The Civil Rights era turned the state into a competitive one on the federal level, as it voted for the nationwide winner in every election between 1972 and 2004. It remained Democratic on the state and local level until the turn of the 21st century, allowing Republicans to win control of the state legislature and every statewide office in 2011. Republicans won a United States Senate seat for Louisiana in the election of 2004, for the first time since 1876. Republicans captured both seats in the election of 2014 for the first time since 1872. In the election of 2008, the state voted for a losing presidential candidate for the first time since 1968. Democrats won less than 40% of the presidential popular vote in the state in the elections of 2016 and 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Angelle</span> American politician

Scott Anthony Angelle is an American politician who is the former director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement in Washington, D.C. From 2013 to 2017, he was the District 2 member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, an elected five-person utility regulatory body.

Dudley Anthony Gautreaux, known as Butch Gautreaux was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from Morgan City, Louisiana. From 2000 to 2012, he represented Senate District 21. In 2012, the reconfigured district incorporated mostly Republican portions of Iberia, Lafourche, St. Mary, and Lafourche parishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Louisiana elections</span>

Louisiana's 2011 state elections were held on October 22, 2011, with runoff elections held on November 19. All statewide elected offices were up, as well as all seats in the Louisiana State Legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election</span> State election in the United States

The 2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on November 21, 2015, to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Republican Governor Bobby Jindal was not eligible to run for re-election to a third term because of term limits established by the Louisiana Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elbert Guillory</span> American politician

Elbert Lee Guillory is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate. An American Republican, he represented District 24, including his native Opelousas, and several rural precincts, from May 2, 2009, when he won a special election, until January 11, 2016, when his full term to which he was elected in 2011 ended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in Louisiana</span> Election of John Neely Kennedy as US Senator.

The 2016 United States Senate election in Louisiana took place on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Louisiana, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election</span>

The 2015 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on October 24, 2015, to elect the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, with a runoff election held on November 21, 2015. Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne did not run for re-election to a second full term in office. He instead ran for governor. Billy Nungesser won the election defeating Kip Holden, despite a Democratic victory in the gubernatorial election, in which John Bel Edwards defeated David Vitter by a similar margin.

Sharon Woodall Hewitt is a former Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate for the 1st district, which encompasses portions of St. Tammany, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes. In January 2016, she succeeded fellow Republican A. G. Crowe, who did not pursue a third term in the primary election held on October 24, 2015. She chaired the Republican Legislative Delegation in the state senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Louisiana gubernatorial election</span>

The 2019 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican businessman Eddie Rispone. Edwards became the first Democratic Governor of Louisiana to win re-election to a second consecutive term in 44 years since Edwin Edwards in 1975. It was the closest Louisiana gubernatorial election since 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Louisiana gubernatorial election</span>

The 2023 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on October 14, 2023 to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Governor John Bel Edwards was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office. This race was one of two Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2023 in a state that voted for Donald Trump in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election</span> Louisiana election held in 2011

The 2011 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on October 22, 2011 to elect the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne who was elected in a 2010 special election won his bid for a full term. Dardenne was challenged by fellow Republican Billy Nungesser, President of Plaquemines Parish.

References

  1. 1 2 "West Bank News". nola.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Official known for criticizing BP, feds re-elected". Fox News. October 2, 2010.
  3. Timothy Stanley, The Crusader: The Life and Tumultuous Times of Pat Buchanan (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2012), p. 178; ISBN   978-0-312-58174-9
  4. "Election returns, November 7, 2006". sos.louisiana.gov. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  5. "Buras-Triumph, LA : Buras Water Tower After Hurricane Katrina photo, picture, image (Louisiana) at city-data.com". city-data.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  6. "News – The Advocate — Baton Rouge, Louisiana". 2theadvocate.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  7. Bustamante, Lucy (September 16, 2008). "Plaquemines purposely sink barges before Gustav". WWL TV. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  8. "News – The Advocate — Baton Rouge, Louisiana". 2theadvocate.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  9. "CNN's Anderson Cooper is back in New Orleans to cover yet another disaster: the oil spill". NOLA.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  10. "Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser becomes the face of oil spill frustration". NOLA.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  11. Robertson, Campbell (May 31, 2010). "Louisianan Becomes Face of Anger on Spill". The New York Times.
  12. Goldstein, Katherine (June 29, 2010). "Billy Nungesser: The Face Of Gulf Oil Spill Anger". Huffington Post.
  13. "Louisiana politician becomes face of grassroots clean-up efforts". CNN. June 3, 2010.
  14. "Yahoo News UK". Yahoo News UK. Retrieved November 22, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. ABC News. "Person of the Week: Billy Nungesser". ABC News. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  16. "Nungesser To Coast Guard: 'This Is Bulls*!t'". WDSU. November 18, 2015. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  17. The Baton Rouge Advocate, November 22, 2015
  18. "General election returns". Louisiana Secretary of State. December 6, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  19. "Louisiana primary election returns, October 22, 2011". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  20. "Results for Election Date: 10/24/2015". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  21. "Results for Election Date: 11/21/2015". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  22. Greg Hilburn (January 26, 2016). "Nungesser taps former LDWF secretary to lead state parks". The Shreveport Times . Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  23. Rebekah Allen (April 15, 2016). "Spokeswoman for Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser quits because "it was not a comfortable environment"". blogs.theadvocate.com. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  24. Elizabeth Crisp (July 12, 2016). "Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser draws ire of Secretary of State Tom Schedler with statements about voting laws". The Baton Rouge Advocate . Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  25. Jeff Adelson (April 10, 2017). "Billy Nungesser blasted in Louisiana museum director's resignation; allegations of 'some pretty strange crap'". The Baton Rouge Advocate . Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  26. "WWL-TV: Billy Nungesser 'implores' Donald Trump to save Confederate monuments". The New Orleans Advocate . April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  27. Katherine Sayre (May 22, 2017). "Confederate monuments: Nungesser says Mayor Landrieu 'not going to budge' on statue plans". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  28. "Are State Parks closing?". The Alexandria Town Talk . April 16, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  29. Mark Ballard (August 5, 2018). "Political Horizons: Louisiana Republicans seek one primary color". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  30. "Ruth Amelia Marks Nungesser". New Orleans Times-Picayune . Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  31. Wilkinson, Bob Warren, Michelle Hunter and Missy. "Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser reports burglary, fire at his Plaquemines Parish home". NOLA.com. Retrieved April 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Political offices
Preceded by President of Plaquemines Parish
2007–2015
Succeeded by
Amos Cormier
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
2016–present
Incumbent