Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Bel Edwards has surged in recent polls, raising hopes among Democrats that they might reclaim a top position in a state where Republicans hold every statewide elected job.
According to The Associated Press, pollsters, political strategists and even some within the party aren’t confident Edwards has anything more than a long-shot chance at becoming Louisiana’s next governor as people question whether a Democrat can win statewide in Louisiana anymore. Mary Landrieu’s unsuccessful U.S. Senate re-election bid last year suggests the trend will be difficult to disrupt in the short-term.
“You can’t ignore the backdrop in Louisiana. This is one hell of a red state,” said Bernie Pinsonat, a Baton Rouge-based pollster.
Unless something changes significantly in the three weeks before the Oct. 24 election, Edwards and Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter appear headed into the Nov. 21 runoff, leading a field that includes GOP Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle and Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne. Recent polls suggest a Vitter/Edwards runoff could be tight.
A Democratic leader in the state House of Representatives, Edwards is the sort of moderate, white Democrat that Louisiana voters used to elect routinely to statewide offices in Louisiana—before Republican gains wiped out most of those Democrats across the South.
Edwards sees an opportunity to revive the brand, thanks to voters’ deep disapproval of term-limited Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal, whose budget cuts and candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination have rankled Louisiana residents.
The Associated Press has the full story.
