Priscilla Gonzalez, a former Texas Mayoral Candidate, Is Running for Mayor-President in Lafayette, Louisiana

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - The race for Mayor-President of Lafayette Parish received a surprise candidate in the eleventh hour of qualifying.

Priscilla Gonzalez of Lafayette qualified as a Democrat in the race, joining incumbent Josh Guillory as well as Monique Blanco-Boulet and Jan Swift, all of whom are running as Republicans.

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The Acadiana Advocate first noted Gonzalez' candidacy in its wrap-up of everyone who qualified for various races in Lafayette, with the headline reading "Democrat joins race for Lafayette Mayor-President."

But, Gonzalez is a relative unknown in the Lafayette political scene. Multiple people who spoke with KPEL News said they knew little about her. What's more, her social media presence - including photos and location - is causing confusion among political observers.

Her Facebook page, for example, lists her location as Corpus Christi, Texas.

However, it appears that the page is recycled from a previous campaign. Gonzalez ran for mayor of Corpus Christi, Texas, in 2020.

According to Ballotpedia, she came in fourth place in the General Election for Mayor, picking up 5.2 percent of the vote there - or roughly 5,400 votes. Her Facebook page also confirms that she was actively encouraging voters to turn out in Corpus Christi during the 2022 campaign cycle.

In one post encouraging people to turn out, she also noted that "If you need a ride, send me a DM."

But Gonzalez is running as a Democrat, and her social media pages do show support for Democrats and promote Democrat positions. However, she caused some concern on her personal Facebook Page on July 25 when she put up a post the importance of registering to vote.

However, the picture posted with the reminder featured signs and apparel for Jeff Landry, the Republican Attorney General of Louisiana who is running for Governor.

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When asked about her support of Landry on her campaign's Facebook page, her she gave a lengthy response.

Good question. I’m not a typical Louisianian. I’m a lifelong Democrat and Leftist, with progressive values, but I also look to support people instead of party politics. Jeff Landry listens to my concerns and even though I don’t agree with many of his beliefs, what is important to me is someone who listens and makes commitments to address concerns. The Latino community is being left behind, the poor are being left behind, the non-elite are being left behind. I am open to supporting the Dem or any other candidate on the ticket but I haven’t had luck getting responses from anyone on my questions except from Jeff Landry. As a leader for Lafayette Parish, my priority and personal commitment is to listen and respond to concerns and questions.

The Race for Mayor-President

While there is little data to go on right now, Mayor-President Josh Guillory is the presumptive frontrunner in the race. Monique Blanco-Boulet, daughter of the late Gov. Kathleen Blanco, is expected to have some support in the business community in Lafayette. Both are running as a Republican, along with Jan Swift.

Gonzalez is the only Democrat in the race.