Misti Cordell

Misti Cordell is a Monroe Republican who chairs the Louisiana Board of Regents, the board that coordinates public higher education in the state. She previously worked in health care recruiting and as an outreach representative in the Louisiana Attorney General's office. The Louisiana Republican Party endorsed her in this race in late August 2026, and she describes herself as the only political outsider in the field.[1][2][3]

Cordell graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a bachelor's degree in human resource management and lives in Monroe, according to the Board of Regents; the Louisiana Illuminator's voter guide lists her as being from West Monroe and as the owner of a healthcare business.[2][4] As of the Board of Regents' 2024 announcement she worked as a physician recruiter for Affinity Health Group in Monroe.[2] She served on Gov. Jeff Landry's Health and Hospitals Transition Team and as an outreach representative for the Louisiana Attorney General's Office.[2]

Cordell was sworn in as an at-large member of the Louisiana Board of Regents on March 27, 2024, for a term that expires December 31, 2029, and the governor appointed her chair in September 2024.[1][2][4] She serves or has served on the boards of MedCamps of Louisiana, the CenturyNext Bank advisory board, the Ouachita Parish Library and the Northeast Louisiana Children's Museum.[2]

The Louisiana Republican Party endorsed Cordell for this race at the end of August 2026.[3] Some opponents criticized the process, and Cordell described the endorsement as the product of her own outreach to State Central Committee members.[3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.