NEW ORLEANS — The President called the governor on Monday to congratulate him on his run-off win, a spokesperson for Governor John Bel Edwards told our partners at The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.
Edwards not only beat Republican Eddie Rispone, but he also defeated President Trump's push to steer the election. The victory, of course, was a big win for the Edwards campaign, but it may offer some indicators for the 2020 elections.
John Bel Edwards was feeling confident after his victory on Saturday night. In delivering his victory speech, he finally addressed the shadow that President Trump cast over the Louisiana governor's race.
"As for the president, God bless his heart," said Edwards.
In Southern style, that's about the sharpest elbow Edwards threw at the President, who bluntly told voters Edwards was no good for Louisiana.
He delivered that message through his three visits to the state leading up to the run-off. He endorsed Eddie Rispone, but in many ways, the President made the election about him.
"You got to give me a big win, OK?" the President told a massive crowd at a Rispone rally in Bossier City last week.
That big win never came. The president is 1-for-3 in his involvement in gubernatorial races this year. He backed the Republican candidate in Mississippi who eventually won. But in Kentucky and now Louisiana, the Trump endorsements fell short.
Political analyst Ron Faucheux says the recent losses indicate that a backing by Trump for candidates in 2020 may not translate to wins.
"In certainly swing states and in swing congressional districts, Donald Trump is not necessarily is going to be a plus for the Republican party in this election, even though he will carry his own base and his own voters when his name is on the ballot," said Faucheux.
Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise told Fox News that President Trump made the Louisiana race competitive.
"Eddie Rispone was at 27 percent in the primary, he ended up at 49. Clearly, President Trump's involvement made a big difference in helping close that massive gap," said Scalise (R-La).
While that may be true, Rispone naturally inherited most of the Republican votes that went to the other challenger in the race, Congressman Ralph Abraham.
Regardless, in politics, second place doesn't count. Despite the weight of the White House in the race, the lone Democratic governor in the Deep South now gets a second term.
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