Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré has ended any speculation that he’ll enter the Louisiana governor’s race.
In a statement posted today on his Facebook page and issued in a news release, Honoré says that after “much thought and reflection over the past several weeks,” he has decided not to run for governor because he believes he can better serve the state outside the political arena.
“I’ve concluded that I can best continue to serve the state I love by (sic), not by becoming a politician and running for governor, but by working with the good people of Louisiana to reorder our political priorities and hold all of our elected officials accountable to the people they swear to serve,” Honoré says in the statement.
State Rep. John Bel Edwards, the leading Democrat in the race—whose chance of making a runoff with one of the three major Republicans in the race likely increased with Honoré’s announcement—immediately issued a statement today saying: “I will ensure that his leadership experience is a resource we do not waste in my administration.”
With Honoré out of the race, the field of major candidates may be set. The leading Republicans in the race are Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and U.S. Sen. David Vitter.
Honore’ tells Gannett Louisiana that he isn’t ready to endorse a current candidate, adding he isn’t ruling it out.
“I still have to think about that and will try to get our citizens to make informed decisions and go vote,” he says.
The election is set for Oct. 24. If none of the candidates win 50% or more of the vote, a runoff election of the top two candidates will take place on Nov. 21.
