LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– Richard Nelson, a Louisiana governor candidate, will be in attendance for Gubernatorial Debate in Lafayette taking place at the KLFY studios on Sept. 15, along with the six other candidates.

Nelson declared his candidacy earlier this year in January. He is an engineer, attorney and former diplomat who was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2019. At 37, Nelson is the youngest candidate currently in the race.

Nelson grew up in Mandeville, where he was an Eagle Scout and valedictorian of Mandeville High. and earned a degree in biological engineering from LSU before going to LSU Law School.

He has seven years in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State, living in Washington, D.C., Germany, and the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Nelson advocates for letting tax dollars remain in local communities instead of concentrating them in Baton Rouge. One of Nelson’s most notable policy changes while serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives included the removal of the income tax and improving literacy for elementary students.

 He has his own consulting firm, and he and his wife Ashley, who he met at LSU, live in Mandeville with their three boys Michael, 8, Arthur, 7, and Jack, 4.

“I believe we have a golden opportunity to fundamentally change Louisiana into a diverse economy and ample opportunity for every citizen,” Nelson stated regarding his reason for running.

Candidate Richard Nelson said at Iowa’s straw poll that took place Aug. 20, his campaign is based on bringing people and businesses to Louisiana in order for them to prosper.

“I’m just trying to spread the gospel of good government to the people of Louisiana and this was a great opportunity to do that. My campaign is really focused on throwing out the last hundred years of Huey Long style government, trying to make a competitive environment in Louisiana so that we can attract business and people to come here and they can succeed. We have the resources, we have the best people in the country and the world, what we need is better government so that we can have those same kind of outcomes,” Nelson said.

The debate will be seen across the state on the six Nexstar stations serving the state, KLFY, WGNO in New Orleans, KTAL in Shreveport, KTVE in Monroe, WVLA in Baton Rouge and WNTZ in Alexandria, as well as one partner station, KSWL in Lake Charles.

It will be aired at 7 p.m. CST.