We are four days removed from Louisiana’s surprising election results last Saturday. Voters roundly rejected all four state constitutional amendments on the ballot—most notably, Amendment #2.

Amendment #2 was the crown jewel of Governor Jeff Landry’s tax reform agenda. Landry, his political allies, and numerous organizations poured money and energy into supporting it. Big Business interests—such as the Koch Brothers-backed nonprofit Americans for Prosperity and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI)—heavily backed the amendment.

Yet, to the surprise of many political observers, Amendment #2 failed by a thirty-point margin. As others have noted, a large contingent of Louisiana’s conservative voters rejected these amendments.

Scott McKay published an insightful article on Monday morning about Governor Landry’s looming problems with his main voter base:

“But the number one lesson coming out of Saturday is that it was the first real opportunity for his voters to send Jeff Landry a message, and the one they sent wasn’t very positive.

We’ve been warning for a while that giving too much ground to the other side without first taking care of your own people is a fast road to political perdition, and that warning hasn’t been heeded.

Giving away the 6th Congressional District to Cleo Fields might have been a good way to neuter Garret Graves, who had made an enemy not just of Landry but of most of the state’s congressional delegation. And redrawing the map to dump Graves was in compliance with the orders of insane Obama judge Shelly Dick, so there was a justification for doing so.

We know all that, and we’ve covered all of it. But it doesn’t change the fact that Republican voters in this state remain absolutely furious over it.”

Certainly, it would be wise for Governor Landry and his team to step back and understand exactly what occurred last Saturday. Two key questions must be answered regarding this massive defeat: Who is responsible? And what are the next steps? In today’s article, we look to answer the first question.

The Real Culprit: Richard Nelson

The primary architect of Amendment #2’s tax policies—and the real culprit for this loss—is none other than Richard Nelson.

For those unfamiliar, Richard Nelson currently serves as Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Revenue. He has remained a longtime foe of grassroots, “Louisiana First” conservatives–from his personal attacks against Landry’s conservative voter base during Nelson’s 2023 gubernatorial run to his support for renewing the raised state sales tax in last year’s “tax reform” special session. Nelson, clearly, has proven himself to be a political liability:

But if you thought Hewitt’s response was terrible, then just wait for Richard Nelson. Nelson is the young, libertarian Republican candidate running for Governor. Listen to Nelson’s anti-conservative, “big-brained centrist” rhetoric:

Nelson, who calls himself a “bipartisan” state representative, talks a big game about fiscal responsibility and bad government policies. So then, what was Nelson’s vote on the pork-filled House Bill 560 that showered tens of millions of dollars upon Democrat districts? Oh wait, he voted YES. Not to mention, he also voted in favor of Senate Continuing Resolution 3–which busted the State budget spending cap and unleashed ruinous, wasteful pet project spending on Louisiana (including $1.5 million for Sen. Cleo Fields’ pet project, the Louisiana Leadership Institute, and a $250,000 splurge for band uniforms for Southern University). If Nelson couldn’t stand firm on these irresponsible bills, then can you really depend on him as your Governor? The answer is pretty clear here. Again, look at Nelson’s actions over his cute messaging.

Back in December 2023, I was skeptical when Landry’s transition team chose the one-term legislator Nelson to run the Louisiana Department of Revenue. After all, Nelson had promised to end the state income tax during his 2023 campaign. There was a glimmer of hope that he’d push for the real tax reform our state so desperately needs.

That hope was misplaced.

It took only one year for Nelson to shift from eliminating the income tax to supporting a “tax swap” that raises taxes on some Louisiana residents.

Instead of abolishing the state income tax, Nelson proposed a flat income tax.

Instead of lowering Louisiana’s sky-high sales tax, he expanded it to more products and services.

Instead of simplifying the tax system, he and the legislature pushed a 100+ page bill just to revise a single article of the Louisiana Constitution (Article VII).

It’s stunningly obvious. Louisiana citizens have not seen the bold, reformist tax policies that we expected from the Landry administration.  Nelson’s so-called “reform” ended in a humiliating defeat for the governor, just weeks before the next legislative session. With Landry’s political capital weakened, real reform may have to wait until 2026.

Even worse for the governor, this failure could open the door for one of Landry’s rivals in the 2027 gubernatorial race—perhaps even former Congressman Garret Graves. Regardless, the next several months will be pivotal to see what the Landry administration does to recover from last Saturday’s political disaster.

What Now?

Now that we’ve identified the real culprit, the next question is “what are the next steps?”

In a future article, I will offer some advice on what the proper next steps should be for Louisiana’s Republican pols. But for now, one thing is crystal clear: Richard Nelson has railroaded the Landry administration for far too long.

It’s time for him to pack up his bags and resign. Or better yet, Governor Landry should just say, “You’re fired.”

Whatever is easier.

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Nathan Koenig is a frequent contributor to RVIVR.com, a national conservative political site affiliated with The Hayride. Follow his writing on the Louisiana First Standard Substack, on Twitter (X) @LAFirstStandard, on Tik Tok @la.first.standard & on Instagram @lafirststandard. Email him here: louisianafirststandard@proton.me