Political Note #208 John Bel Edwards LA Governor

Political Note #208   John Bel Edwards   LA Governor

2019                             General Election

October is not far away. October 2019. Louisiana’s Democratic Governor is up for election on October 12, 2019.

Democrats and Republicans run together in a non-partisan primary. If someone gets a majority, the election is over. Otherwise, the top two, regardless of party, run against each other on November 16, 2019.

John Bel Edwards https://johnbelforlouisiana.com/ is not alone.  Mississippi could elect a Democratic Governor, Kentucky could elect a Democratic Governor, and Louisiana could elect a Democratic Governor – all in November, 2019.

John Bel Edwards is Louisiana’s Democratic Governor.  He is running for reelection. Also running are Republican businessman Eddie Rispone, Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham, and, possibly, Republican State Senator Sharon Hewitt.

John Bel Edwards’ father was a sheriff. His grandfather, too. His great grandfather as well. So is his brother. The Edwards family is in a Louisiana political Hall of Fame for this accomplishment.  John Bel Edwards is a West Point graduate who served in active duty as an Airborne Ranger including command of a rifle company in the 82nd Airborne. Louisiana values families of sheriffs.  Military service, too.

John Bel Edwards is a conservative Democrat – an anti-gun control and anti-abortion Democrat.

John Bel Edwards positions on gun safety described by the On the Issues website:

  • We need to do a better job with our background checks (12/2018)
  • I support gun rights, unlike national Democrats (10/2015)
  • Maintain [current] restrictions and records of individuals and guns (11/2006)

His positions on abortion described by the On the Issues website

  • [I} signed one of country’s most restrictive anti-abortion laws (12/2018)
  • [I have an] unblemished anti-abortion voting record (10/2015)
  • My daughter is living proof of my pro-life values (10/2015)
  • [We should] provide alternatives to Planned Parenthood before blocking [it] (10/2015)

These conservative positions would not get him elected in Massachusetts or New York.  There are Republicans in Louisiana with worse positions.

Here is what John Bel Edwards has done as Governor.

  • Medicare Expansion.
    • On his first day in office, he reports on his website, he signed an executive order to expand Medicaid, ultimately reducing the percentage of Louisianans without health insurance from 22% to 11%.
    • He tells his readers about how much federal money that decision brought in, the number of jobs created, and the lives saved.
  • Discrimination
    • He signed an executive order protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from harassment or job dismissal. He prohibited state agencies from discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation
      • The order made an exception for religious organizations which claim that compliance would violate their religious beliefs.
      • He also  rescinded an existing order that protected businesses and non-profits which sought to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
    • Crime and Prisons
      • He announced a goal to reduce the prison population
        • He commuted 22 sentences, but rejected recommendations for many more commutations.
        • He signed legislation that shortened sentences for non-violent, non-sex crime offenders who showed good behavior.
        • He established a shelter in Baton Rouge for child victims of sex trafficking.
      • Budgeting
        • His website touts his success working with the Republican legislature to cut taxes and move the state from a deficit to a surplus.
        • He stresses that he protected higher education, hospitals, law enforcement, and veterans from spending cuts.

John Bel Edwards announced that, for 2019, his principal goal is to obtain raises of $1,000 for all teachers and $500 for other school staff.

Notwithstanding his positions on guns and abortion. Scratch that. Including his positions on guns and abortion, his positions are preferable to a Republican running for the same office.

  • He complains that Grover Norquist’s taxation goals would cripple the economy.
  • He expresses support for affirmative action
  • He accepts Supreme Court decisions – about same sex marriage, for instance.
  • He complains about corporations that don’t pay taxes.
  • Despite opposition to legalizing marijuana and support for more jail time for drug related crimes, his support for more rehabilitation gets him a B- from NORML
  • His opposition to the Common Core as a basis for the school curriculum is balanced by support for more education funding.
  • He supports alternative fuels and higher CAFE standards.
  • He supports foreign aid for humanitarian crises, including stopping the spread of AIDS.
  • He supports trade agreements like NAFTA
  • He supports public funding for political campaigns.
  • He says that it is pro-life to ensure that everyone, including the poor, has access to health care.
  • He supports meaningful access to the minimum wage and equal pay for women. To enforce these requirements, he would end what he calls “Pay Secrecy.”
  • He opposes raising the social security retirement age and any scheme to replace social security with private retirement accounts.

John Bel Edwards https://johnbelforlouisiana.com/ is pro-gun and anti-abortion. He is also pro-faith. He is who we need.   He is the kind of person we need as governor of Louisiana.  He is the kind of governor the people of Louisiana need.   We should support him. October is not that far away. Start supporting him now.

Remember these southern Democrats running for statewide office in 2019:

John Bel Edwards   Reelection as Governor of Louisiana

Jim Hood                   Current Attorney General, running for Governor of Mississippi

Remember this southern Democrat running for statewide office in 2020

Doug Jones                Reelection as Senator from Alabama

THE SOUTH IS CHANGING. BE PART OF THAT CHANGE. HELP IT HAPPEN.