LaPolitics Report

(Reposted from April 6, 2026 due to technical error) As part of an ongoing series on the Louisiana Legislature's various chairs, episode 82 of the LaPolitics Report Podcast focuses on the head of the minority party's efforts in the lower chamber. House Democratic Caucus Chair Kyle Green discusses the future of his party, the ongoing regular session, redistricting and other legislative issu...

Welcome to the space where hunting and fishing intersect with politics — with our guide Rad Trascher, executive director of the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana. He showed up for the final episode of season 8 of the LaPolitics Report Podcast to discuss commercial versus recreational balance on the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and highlights from the recent regular session. Along...

Adam Knapp and Barry Erwin of Better Louisiana help guide this episode of the LaPolitics Report Podcast from the heyday of hayride politics in the late 1970s to today's unpredictable landscape. How has the culture of the Capitol changed? Why was this year's legislative gathering the "session that went sideways?" Knapp and Erwin discuss what was (and wasn't) accomplished durin...

In the latest episode of the LaPolitics Report Podcast, we're diving deep into the topic of investigative journalism, particularly as it applies to broadcast news. Featuring anchor Chris Nakamoto, the chief investigative journalist at WAFB-TV, and Avery Davidson, a former investigative producer, this week's podcast looks beyond the headlines. How are trusted sources developed? When is a st...

House Speaker Phillip DeVillier is the guest on this episode of the LaPolitics Report Podcast. What are his political plans when this term ends? What's on tap for the 2027 regular session? More immediately, what's driving the ongoing regular session and could redistricting get in the way of the rest of the Legislature's agenda? Speaker DeVillier touches on these topics and much more. P...

The power couple of Lynnel and Kyle Ruckert are featured in this episode of the LaPolitics Report Podcast. Both are former chiefs of staff to high-ranking officials in Louisiana and Washington and are now sought-after consultants for campaigns and policy advocacy. They discuss their paths to success, how they met and what makes a relationship work in politics. Plus, we get into closed primary chat...

Joe Mapes, the longtime lobbyist for Farm Bureau and many others, reflects on 50 years in government relations. Mapes shares his very first experience as a young man gathering votes for a tic sheet in 1976. And it didn’t go very well. Which state senator did he encounter? You’ll have to listen to find out. “He was a very disarming man,” Mapes said on the podcast. “He chewed me out, and I asked him...

Secretary of State Nancy Landry said in this episode she has decided to seek re-election next year — and hints at what might happen after one more term. Landry also discusses the new open primary system and how prepared election workers are for the change.

In the latest LaPolitics Report Podcast, you'll learn how former Ways and Means Chair Julie Emerson didn't get hired by Gov. Jeff Landry, back when he was in Congress 15 years ago, before finally being selected this year as his current chief of staff. Emerson also talks about campaign songs and believes Wayne Toups may be the artist to create one for her boss. Plus, she discusses the ongoi...

In this latest episode of the LaPolitics Report Podcast, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser offers an alternative take on the Legislature's push to offer incentives to the aerospace tech industry. Nungesser also share his views on President Donald Trump, the state's new closed primary system (he doesn't believe it's here to stay) and the future of tourism in Louisiana. Plus, we open this epi...

Recorded in November 2016, this is Episode 9 featuring Baton Rouge media consultant Roy Fletcher, who talked about his very diverse body of work. From helping run John McCain’s presidential campaign to creating iconic images on TV for statewide elected officials, Fletcher has seen it all. This episode also has a review of 2016's proposed constitutional amendments from Adams & Reese partner...

Recorded in May 2017 for our second season, Episode 16 featured two of then-Gov. John Bel Edwards’ key aides: Matthew Block and Richard Carbo. Block discussed his job as the administration’s executive counsel. Carbo, Edwards’ communications director, touched on working with the press and shared memories about growing up in a well-known political family. Speaking of, this episode starts with a blas...

In the latest episode of the LaPolitics Report Podcast, we have a wide-ranging conversation with state Rep.-elect Paul Sawyer that eventually lands on English surnames, the characters created by Mark Twain and the writing prowess of late President Ulysses S. Grant. Somewhere in between, we hear Sawyer discuss what it's like going from the staff level in the U.S. Congress to one of the newest m...

Recorded in April 2017 for the second season of the LaPolitics Report Podcast, this episode from the archives features Congressman Clay Higgins. This was back when Higgins was arguably the least-known member of Louisiana's congressional delegation, fresh off of an unexpected election victory. In this episode, you'll get some car-buying tips from Higgins, who used to manage a car dealership...

Recorded in September 2016 for the first season of the LaPolitics Report Podcast, this episode from the archives features Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Member Lance Harris. Serving then as the state House GOP chair, Harris discussed legislative politics of the day and offered up some surprising words for then-Gov. John Bel Edwards. You'll also hear Harris throwing back a beer at LaPo...

House Ways and Means Chair Tony Bacala opens up this eighth season of the LaPolitics Report podcast with an overview of the regular session, tales from a life in law enforcement and an explanation for why his committee is known as "Ways to be Mean." Plus, we kick off this 80th episode of the pod with audio from yesteryear — a quote from late Gov. Edwin Edwards involving integrity, his mo...

On this episode of the LaPolitics Report Podcast, Davante Lewis talks about being the youngest member of the Public Service Commission and one of the highest ranking Democrats in Louisiana. How did he pull off a surprising win against a seasoned incumbent? What are the biggest challenges for an upstart politician? Is elected office worth it at the end of the day? Lewis discusses all of these topic...

Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain discusses his unique route to elected office, how the regular session treated his department and what his own political future might look like. For our regular dose of political history, we also hear from a former statewide elected office who used his retirement speech to launch a new consulting company...

On the LaPolitics Report Podcast microphone is former Senate Health and Welfare Chairman Fred Mills. He'll keep you laughing in this episode that was recorded in October 2016 as he doles out lessons on marketing, medicine and Marcel Proust. The chairman also spent some time presenting a roadmap for health care policy in Louisiana and talking about his childhood as a mayor's kid. But it&#39...

Baton Rouge pollster Bernie Pinsonat discusses the Independent Party and offers four tips for evaluating a poll in this episode that was recorded in January 2017. We also hear a little bit about Pinsonat’s background, his upbringing in Livonia and his time working for former U.S. Sen. J. Bennett Johnston. To kick it all off, however, we dip into the audio archives to listen to former state Sen. Ro...

Louisiana Realtors CEO Norman Morris is the latest guest on the LaPolitics Report Podcast. From what path he followed into Capitol politics to how he discovered the power of associations, Morris offers a roadmap for anyone interested in government relations. With an eye to association management, the longtime Realtors CEO discusses counting votes, tracking bills and working with governors. He also...

Republicans are roughly a year or less away from capturing a plurality in Louisiana's voter registration, pollster John Couvillon   said in the latest episode of the LaPolitics Report Podcast. "The bigger picture, which is also worth communicating to you, is the Democratic plurality in voter registration is steadily shrinking," said Couvillon, founder and president of JMC Analytics &...

How does the Legislative Communications Office operate? What's up with the new studio inside the Capitol? Why were security protocols updated again for the regular session? For answers to all of these questions —and much more — Meg Casper Sunstrom , the chief communications officer for the Louisiana Legislature, joins us for Episode 75 of the LaPolitics Report Podcast. A former journalist who...

Recorded in September 2016, from Episode 2 of our very first season, New Orleans Councilman (then-Rev and Fist Chair) J.P. Morrell sat down for a conversation that may have focused a little too much on comic books and tennis shoes. But that doesn’t come up until the end of the show. Before that, it’s a quick run through the world of New Orleans politics and a deep dive into in the Louisiana Legisl...

Recorded in March 2017, this episode (Episode 22 from Season 4) features Louisiana AFL-CIO president Louis Reine reflecting on his youth in Baton Rouge, from growing up in a small business to slowly making his way into the ranks of organized labor. He also offered an overview of what unions do, their biggest political challenges and the policy milestones that have influenced the way they operate....