When Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards begins his first term in office on Jan. 11, he technically has four years to implement his vision for Louisiana, but as Jeremy Alford notes in his latest column, the new governor may have slightly more than 12 months to steer the ship while having a Democratic ally in the White House.
“That’s a full 12 months with a Democratic governor on the bayou working with a Democratic president in the White House,” Alford writes. “This is more than notable. Edwards is only the second Louisiana governor elected since 1972 who will take office during the term of a sitting president from the same party.”
For the entirety of President Barack Obama’s time as president, the lines of communication between the White House and the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge have been nonexistent, with Gov. Bobby Jindal looking to replace and criticize Obama, rather than seeking his help, Alford writes. And with no assurances that another Democrat will emerge from the scrum to succeed Obama, Edwards needs to act swiftly and squeeze all he can out of the partisan ties he shares with Obama.
“It will be a delicate balancing act,” Alford writes. “Edwards certainly wants the help from D.C., whether it be through federal dollars, grants or program waivers. But he also wants to keep public opinion in his corner and go into 2019 as re-electable.
“Spending 12 months championing Obama and expanding the scope of state government via the federal government might not play well with some of the Republicans who crossed over to support his campaign,” Alford adds. “So he must choose his battles wisely.”
One way to take advantage of the ties and make a big splash would be to get federal assistance to fund the passenger rail line between New Orleans and Baton Rouge—a project Jindal refused to pursue in 2009 as part of Obama’s stimulus package, Alford writes. Expanding Medicaid is another priority in which Edwards could get some federal assistance.
Showing his face at the annual Washington Mardi Gras could also go a long way toward making Edwards’ priorities a reality.
“A passenger rail and Medicaid expansion are just the beginning of Edward’s big year one of federal outreach,” Alford writes.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
