State Sen. Sharon Hewitt announces bid for Louisiana governor

Louisiana State Sen. Sharon Hewitt announced Friday that she will run for governor, joining Treasurer John Schroder and Attorney General Jeff Landry in the race.

A successful campaign would make Hewitt the second female governor of Louisiana and the first female Republican governor. The late Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat, served as governor from 2004 to 2008, pulling off a surprising upset as an underestimated candidate.

Hewitt, who lives in Slidell, has never held statewide office but has proven to be a powerful two-term legislator, spearheading the state’s redistricting efforts last year along with a successful veto override that frustrated Democrats and activists who said the maps diluted the voting power of minority residents. 

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According to her website, Hewitt grew up in Lake Charles where she attended Barbe High School and graduated as class valedictorian. She earned a degree in mechanical engineering from LSU and worked on offshore drilling rigs before climbing the executive ladder to manage finances at Shell. 

“Politicians have failed our state for decades, saddling us with a failing tax code, struggling schools, and rising crime in our cities,” Hewitt said in a press release. “It’s time for a governor who will get things done. That’s why I’m running to lead this great state I love.”