Louisiana Recall Campaign Rocked by Leadership Revolt as Organizers Break Away
BATON ROUGE, La. — A growing leadership revolt has fractured the campaign to recall Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, raising new questions about whether the effort can survive long enough to qualify for a statewide election.
More than 100 parish leaders, volunteers and organizers have left Louisiana Deserves Better, the group leading the recall drive, alleging financial mismanagement, poor leadership and a lack of transparency. Many have now formed a separate coalition, Better Together, while pledging to continue the recall effort independently.
The split comes as organizers race to collect more than 500,000 signatures within 180 days to trigger recall elections. Former leaders say internal turmoil has become the campaign's greatest obstacle, overshadowing the petition drive itself.
The public dispute intensified after former parish leaders attempted to deliver thousands of petition signatures to the campaign's Baton Rouge headquarters. Organizers said the signatures were collected in accordance with state law and needed to be submitted, but they were unable to complete the delivery.
Former volunteers accuse campaign Chair Marian Gbaiwon of failing to provide an accounting of donations, expenditures and signature totals despite repeated requests. They also contend the organization missed a proposed $100,000 funding opportunity after declining to adopt recommended financial oversight measures.
Gbaiwon has rejected those allegations, saying former members were barred from delivering signatures after concerns arose over unauthorized access to campaign records. She also alleged organizational data had been deleted, a claim former volunteers deny.
The campaign's internal divisions widened after co-founder and Vice Chair Katilyn Stepter publicly distanced herself from the organization, saying she still believes in the recall movement but could no longer continue under the existing leadership.
Despite the split, both Louisiana Deserves Better and Better Together say they intend to continue collecting signatures before the deadline. Whether the movement can overcome its internal divisions may ultimately determine the fate of one of Louisiana's most ambitious grassroots political campaigns in recent years.
