Despite facing a fair share of haters and doubters in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards appears to have a growing fan club nationally, Jeremy Alford writes in his latest column.
“Donors on the corporate level say the Democratic Governors Association, in particular, has labeled Edwards as a star player whenever its bench comes into question,” Alford writes. “That bench isn’t as long as it could be; there are currently 15 Democratic governors in the United States, excluding American Samoa and Puerto Rico.”
In the latest Morning Consult poll, Edwards had the fourth highest approval rating among Democratic governors, at 53%. Alford also notes Edwards has raised more money during his first year than his most recent predecessors.
“There’s a reason why he’s moving closer to the front of the DGA’s bench,” he writes, adding that the association has once again asked Edwards to host a Christmas party in New Orleans for his gubernatorial counterparts. “Some of Edwards’ campaign contributors have been hit up for the December shindig—and, frankly, a few sound excited about aiding the governor’s national profile.”
The growing national interest surrounding Edwards also has been noted by Anne Kim, a senior writer at Washington Monthly and a fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute. Both Politico and The Economist have noted Edwards’ emergence as a key Democratic player, and Governing magazine plans to publish a feature in January. His 2015 campaign is already being used as a case study for other elections, Alford writes.
And while some may wonder whether Edwards is boosting his national profile to lay the groundwork for a presidential run in 2020, Alford says the governor’s “boosters, quickly and decidedly, will shoot the suggestion down.”
“The governor is probably more worried about 2019,” Alford writes. “That’s when he’ll be the incumbent in what will likely be the most expensive election for governor in Louisiana history. (Just like 2015.)”
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.
