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Clancy: What's next for John Bel Edwards?

Louisiana’s biggest gains, like erasing the deficit and passing criminal justice reforms, happened because lawmakers put party differences aside and worked together.

NEW ORLEANS — Now that the governor’s race is over, what’s next for Governor John Bel Edwards and state lawmakers?

That’s the topic of this week’s Commentary by Eyewitness News Political Analyst and Gambit columnist Clancy DuBos.

John Bel Edwards didn’t get much of a honeymoon in 2016, and he won’t get one in his second term.

The Republican-majority Legislature was stacked against him when he took office nearly four years ago. It’ll be even more solidly Republican, and potentially more partisan, starting in January.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Louisiana’s biggest gains, like erasing the deficit and passing criminal justice reforms, happened because lawmakers put party differences aside and worked with, rather than against each another and the governor. Edwards is also term limited now, so there’s no political gain in fighting him at every turn.

There will be lots of room for honest disagreement, but compromise is not a four-letter word.

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