For those who don’t know, Helena Moreno has just become the new mayor of New Orleans. Following Moreno’s inauguration, both local and national media outlets published numerous “puff piece” articles praising the liberal Democratic mayor of Louisiana’s largest city.

However, two particular articles about Moreno’s inauguration provided some valuable insight into Louisiana politics—shedding light on what I’ll refer to here as the “illusion of choice” in Louisiana politics.

The first article came from the “local” news outlet Fox 8. It focused on the supposedly bipartisan audience at Moreno’s inauguration:

“State Senate president Cameron Henry, a Republican, and State Sen. Jimmy Harris, seen as the dean of New Orleans’ Democratic delegation in Baton Rouge, appeared on stage at the inauguration and said Louisiana is better when there is cooperation between the capitol and the state’s largest city.

While it’s rare for Democrats and Republicans in D.C. to stand together on anything nowadays, Louisiana Democratic Congressman Troy Carter and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stood side-by-side on the stage, encouraging more unity in New Orleans.”

Yes, you heard and read that correctly. The supposed “conservative” US House Majority Leader and Republican Congressman Steve Scalise was standing shoulder to shoulder with far-left Democratic Congressman Troy Carter during Moreno’s inauguration—the same Troy Carter who has repeatedly echoed anti-white, anti-police, and anti-ICE  sentiment both in person and on social media.

Just last week, Rep. Carter shared a self-indulgent post on X/Twitter that dishonestly attacked the patriotic protesters from January 6th—five years later. Congressman Scalise sure seems comfortable standing alongside radical hacks like Rep. Carter in the name of “unity.”

If you find Scalise’s behavior disappointing, wait until you see the recent revelations involving two more major Republican politicians in Louisiana.

Yesterday, the national outlet Politico published a flattering article praising Helena Moreno on the morning of her inauguration. That piece inadvertently revealed some striking details about Moreno’s relationship with prominent trial lawyer Gordon McKernan:

McKernan — better known as “Get Gordon” on his ubiquitous highway billboards and for car-dealer-sized flags towering over his Baton Rouge office — bonded with Moreno over their shared affection for LSU women’s basketball, and he supported her campaign last year. A personal injury lawyer backing a Democrat? No news there.

Except McKernan also happens to have useful friendships with many a Louisiana Republican. That roster of relationships includes Gov. Jeff Landry, who McKernan once joined at a Texas hunting ranch to try to hash out an insurance reform compromise, as well as another powerful conservative figure in Louisiana: State Attorney General Liz Murrill.

According to Politico, Louisiana’s most prominent ambulance chaser allegedly convinced the state’s “conservative” Republican governor and attorney general to support bailing out the far-left New Orleans City Council with a $125 MILLION emergency loan last year. These allegations are quite serious and call into question the integrity of both Gov. Jeff Landry and AG Liz Murrill. The people of Louisiana deserve more transparency regarding the influence unelected special interests like Gordon McKernan wield over political decision-making.

For reference, both Landry and Murrill initially voiced concerns about the City Council’s short-term financial solution to New Orleans’ budget crisis. Those concerns appear to have evaporated after conversations—allegedly—with “Get Gordon” and Helena Moreno ahead of last November’s State Bond Commission meeting.

Both examples of “bipartisanship” bring us to my final point about Louisiana politics. Considered together, they remind us that Louisiana voters are given the “illusion of choice” in most elections.

When election season rolls, Democratic and Republican politicians gladly whip up their core voters and highlight their major differences. But the reality of governance in Louisiana is quite different from the campaign rhetoric we’re accustomed to hearing.

From Republican legislators gerrymandering a second Black-majority congressional district that directly benefited Cleo Fields, to Louisiana Republicans teaming up with Democrats to defend an illegal alien facing deportation, examples of chronically watered-down, bipartisan governance abound at both the state and local levels.

My goal in today is not to say that there are not any meaningful differences between Republican and Democratic politicians. Those differences certainly do exist, and these differences are rightly pointed out often here on The Hayride.

That said, we cannot ignore that Louisiana political system is often run by special interests that prop up politicians in both parties–especially at the state-level. Look no further than the powerful trial attorney lobby supporting Republicans and Democratic politicians who oppose effective tort reform, or the massive energy companies that bulldozed carbon capture sequestration-related legislation through the Legislature during John Bel Edwards’ tenure as Governor.

As we move further into 2026, Louisiana citizens must start viewing state politics through a more accurate lens than the typical “red vs blue” dichotomy. Instead, we should ask if a politician or a particular policy is “Louisiana First” or “Louisiana Last.” Once you do, the bipartisan pageantry of Helena Moreno’s inauguration—and similar political theater—becomes far easier to understand.

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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