Lt. governor candidates look ahead to high-spending race

Louisiana’s lieutenant governor’s race appears on track to be a high-spending competition, at least between two of the Republican candidates in the field.
Billy Nungesser, a former Plaquemines Parish president who lost a previous bid for the position, reported having $2.1 million in his campaign bank account at the end of last year — nearly half of which he kicked in himself.
Fellow GOP contender John Young, president of Jefferson Parish, filed a campaign finance report showing his campaign with $1.8 million at the close of the fundraising period on Dec. 31.
Reports outlining the fundraising and spending that candidates for statewide elected positions did in 2014 were due Wednesday to the state Board of Ethics. The fall election is scheduled for Oct. 24.
Young outraised Nungesser slightly in 2014 for the open lieutenant governor’s seat, bringing in nearly $464,000 throughout the year, while Nungesser received contributions of about $438,000. But Nungesser added $900,000 of his own money to boost his cash on hand above the amount reported by Young.
Nungesser issued a statement saying his campaign was “off to a good start” but that he was seeking to have a total of $4 million to spend. Meanwhile, Young’s campaign noted that no personal loans were included in the funds it reported.
Two other men — Republican state Sen. Elbert Guillory of Opelousas and Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden, a Democrat — have said they intend to run for lieutenant governor.
But neither had filed a campaign finance report for the race by Wednesday evening.
The position is open because Republican Jay Dardenne is running for governor this fall.