That Louisiana win is a BFD (and a message to Wisconsin and Florida voters: yes we can!)

Activists, powered by Black early voters, defeated maga governor Jeff Landry, including in his own parish...

Jeff Landry didn’t even win in his own parish.

The Louisiana governor had heavily backed four constitutional amendments, which would have rewritten the rules in the far right wing state on everything from taxation to child incarceration. And in a Saturday election, likely intended to be low turnout, particularly among the state’s 32 percent Black population, it was a rout.

In a stunning rejection of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, Louisiana voters turned down all four of his constitutional amendments Saturday, including the governor’s plan to overhaul the state’s tax and budget laws.

Nearly two-thirds of voters rejected all of the amendments in an election that could have broader political implications for the rest of Landry’s term.

The governor, who has sometimes relied on strong-arm tactics to get his agenda through the Louisiana Legislature, could become more vulnerable to pushback after failing to pass his most ambitious policy proposal at the ballot box.

Landry’s priority for the election, Amendment 2, would have lowered the maximum income tax rate the state could enact and restricted annual state budget increases. It also would have made it more difficult to enact new tax breaks.

The proposal was expected to produce a financial windfall for Landry and state legislators later this year. Amendment 2 would have moved hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue from state savings accounts into Louisiana’s general fund, where Landry and state legislators could have spent it more easily.

And it’s not like Landry didn’t bring in the heavy hitters … including rapper 50 Cent, who recently bought more than 100 acres of land in Shreveport, to build a Tyler Perry-style movie production studio…

Ok Curtis. Activists opposed to the amendments brought in star power, too. Singer John Legend weighed in for the “no” side … and unlike Fitty, he had no financial stake in the outcome. (Jackson would likely have reaped a tax cut windfall, had Amendment 2 passed.)

Landry certainly pulled out all the stops, even trying to bribe the same teachers his regime is forcing to teach the Bible instead of actual history in Louisiana schools with a pay raise he clearly doesn’t really want for them…

Landry had attempted to sweeten voters on Amendment 2 by tying it to compensation for public school teachers. Had it passed, temporary stipends worth $2,000 and $1,000 that teachers and school support staff have received for the past two years were expected to become permanent.

Now, the educators are at risk of a pay cut since Landry hasn’t included money for their stipend in his current budget proposal. (emphasis added)

And you know what happens when right wingers lose … cue the Soros libel!

In a statement after the outcome was certain, the governor attributed the defeat of Amendment 2 to billionaire George Soros, a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor who conservatives have targeted for several years for his support of liberal causes.

“Soros and far left liberals poured millions into Louisiana with propaganda and outright lies about Amendment 2,” Landry said. “Although we are disappointed in tonight’s results, we do not see this as a failure. We realize how hard positive change can be to implement in a State that is conditioned for failure. … This is not the end for us, and we will continue to fight to make the generational changes for Louisiana to succeed.”

The most recent tax records available show Soros’ Open Societies Foundations gave $1.25 million in 2023 to an affiliate of the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit with revenue totaling $260 million that put money into efforts to defeat Amendment 3. It’s not clear whether any of the Soros’ foundation’s 2023 donation was spent in Louisiana on the election.

Landry had support for Amendment 2 from another controversial billionaire. Conservative Republican Charles Koch is the founder of Americans for Prosperity, a group that knocked on doors, ran phone banks and sent out direct mail in favor of the proposal.

Well the activists who actually did defeat these amendments want Jeff to know it was them.

Louisiana voting rights activist and former U.S. Senate candidate Gary Chambers Jr. and The Power Coalition, led by Founder, President and CEO Ashley Shelton, and based right there in Louisiana, were the ones behind the amendments’ defeat.

And what’s perhaps most heartening of all was the rejection of Amendment 3, which would have meant one of our more carceral states locking up even more of its population, disproportionately targeting young Black Louisianans:

Landry and the Republican-dominated legislature might have inadvertently stirred up public opposition to Amendment 2 by putting it on the same ballot as Amendment 3, a juvenile justice measure that drew the ire of Democrats and national anti-incarceration groups.

Amendment 3, which 66% of voters opposed, would have made it easier to send more minors to adult jails and prisons for longer sentences. It spurred national criminal justice reform organizations, such as the Vera Institute and Southern Poverty Law Center, to spend more than $500,000 to turn voters against it.

Sarah Omojola, Louisiana director for the Vera Institute, said the results for Amendment 3 show voters are starting to reject incarceration as the sole option for criminal justice. She added that high incarceration rates have only served to destabilize communities rather than reduce crime.

“In defeating Amendment 3, voters made clear their desire for the things that actually make our communities safer — like quality education and opportunity,” Omojola said in a statement.

While those organizations focused on defeating Amendment 3, they also became the backbone of a “No on All” campaign working to vote down all four of the constitutional amendments Landry was pushing.

The victory of Landry, 50, and all of the money poured into further warping Louisiana policies in favor of the rich, private prisons and the religious far right is a very big deal.

One of the biggest impacts of the Kamala Harris’ defeat last November has been a marked decline in perceptions of power among Black Americans, according to Terrence Woodbury of the political research group HIT Strategies, who has briefed Black organizations and activists on these issues. And the idea of being helpless in the midst of autocracy is dangerous, in that it causes people to stand down and let the worst things happen to them. In the vote this week, Black voters outperformed white voters — representing 37 percent of the electorate — five points over their population share. And that proved to be fatal to Landry and the far right’s plans…

Landry’s team started to see trouble during the early voting period for the election. John Couvillon, an experienced Louisiana pollster, said Democrats and Black voters showed up in far greater numbers than Republicans during the early voting period.

“I have just never seen an early vote this strong [for Democrats],” Couvillon said.

In addition to Amendment 3, Couvillon said left-leaning voters may also be motivated to vote against Republicans because of concerns about President Donald Trump. Landry is also closely aligned with the Trump administration.

However, opposition to Amendment 2, and the budget and tax changes, also came from some conservative activists. Religious groups and nonprofits were unhappy the amendment would have weakened constitutional protections for property tax exemptions they enjoy.

Ultimately, the Black-white coalition that soundly defeated Landry is the same one that once made Democrat John Bel Edwards a two-term governor of that state; finally allowing Louisianans to enjoy access to Obamacare, and for a time, to a decline in incarceration, dropping the state out of an ignominious first place in locking its own citizens up. Under Landry, Louisiana is not only back in the mass imprisonment business, two of the amendments would have ratcheted up the carceral state, while also harming the ability of voters to choose the judges presiding over them.

The defeat of Amendments 2 and 3 also likely led to the downfall of Amendment 1, which failed with 65% of voters against the proposal. It would have allowed the formation of specialty courts in Louisiana with jurisdiction outside current parish and judicial districts.

Amendment 4 also failed, with 64% of voters. It would have adjusted the rules for special elections to fill vacant or new judgeships, primarily on the Louisiana Supreme Court.

And of course under Landry, Louisiana has become THE Trump regime go-to for disappearing the college students snatched on the streets by the ICE secret police.

Turnout for Saturday’s election was Louisiana low, but more in line with past gubernatorial elections than was expected for a special…

Turnout for the election was also higher than anticipated. There were no other statewide issues to decide, and only a limited number of local races. Projections called for 12% of state voters of cast ballots, but numbers from the Secretary of State placed turnout at 21%.

Let this election be a lesson to Florida and Wisconsin, which are holding elections tomorrow, for a pair of congressional seats in Florida, and for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court — a race in which Elon Musk is doing his usual meddling — waving million dollar prizes around while a judge pretends that’s totally normal and angling to have his own private justice to do his business’ bidding. Of note:

The race will determine the ideological shift of Wisconsin’s highest court, which could influence how the court rules on a number of very high-profile issues. The court will likely have to decide voting rules for the 2028 presidential election, in which Wisconsin will be a key battleground state. Abortion is also expected to be a key issue in the race, as there are multiple lawsuits now pending before the court over whether the state’s constitution protects abortion rights and whether to uphold a 19th century-era law outlawing the procedure. The New York Times notes the court’s makeup could also be of personal benefit to Musk, as his company Tesla has sued Wisconsin for blocking the company from opening dealerships in the state. Wisconsin generally bans auto manufacturers from owning dealerships, and the state denied Tesla’s application to open dealerships under an exemption in that law. The case could go to the state’s highest court, meaning Musk could be helped out by having a friendly judge on the bench.

Well if Louisiana can defeat mass incarceration, voter suppression and a tax scheme to pad the coffers of rich rappers and other oligarchs, Florida and Wisconsin can win one for democracy too.

Polls close Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET in Florida and 8 p.m. in Wisconsin, so go vote!