Beto O’Rourke was fired up when he appeared before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 1,000 people in New Orleans on Thursday night, telling them that Democrats can begin turning around their fortunes in Louisiana.

The path, said O’Rourke, a former congressman who lost highly publicized races for the U.S. Senate and governor in Texas, requires “finding and fielding the candidates who are going to show up and authentically and honestly engage with the people they want to serve, learn from them, reflect what they are hearing, campaign like there is no tomorrow.”

It’s a path lined with obstacles.

In the 2023 elections, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry surprised most observers by cruising to victory in the primary over his Democratic challenger, negating the need for a runoff. Republicans also

See Full Page