The system has been in place for decades in the state for both state and congressional offices, save for a brief interruption in 2008. It isn’t used for either presidential primaries or general elections.

Landry
won his election last October with over 51 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Shawn Wilson and a group of other Republican hopefuls. He
officially took office Monday as the state’s first GOP governor in eight years — giving Louisiana an all-Republican state government. But the supermajority in both legislative chambers does not guarantee the open primary’s elimination.

“We built the Republican Party on open primaries,” Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser told
the Louisiana Advocate, adding that he thinks closed primaries encourage political extremism. “Candidates at least have to campaign to represent all of Louisiana. When you close the primary, you’re going to get the far left and the far right.”

The state House and Senate will also
convene to draw new maps for congressional elections, after a court found the old maps likely violated the Voting Rights Act and that they must add another majority Black district. The legislature has until Jan. 30 to redraw the map — or else a district court could decide on a plan for the upcoming elections in a trial in February.

“The courts have mandated that the state of Louisiana redraw our congressional districts. Redistricting is a state legislative function. That is why today, I followed the court order and made the call to convene the legislature of Louisiana into a special session on redistricting,”
Landry said in a statement.