MONROE, La. — President Donald Trump will return to Louisiana to support Republican businessman Eddie Rispone in the Louisiana governor's race runoff, planning a rally next week in the northeastern part of the state.
Trump announced that he will travel to Monroe, La. for a Wednesday evening event, in the middle of a weeklong early voting period for the Nov. 16 election. The visit will be open to the public, and tickets are available on the Trump campaign website.
Rispone defeated fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham in the Oct. 12 primary election, forcing a runoff against Democratic incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Republicans hope the president's visit will unite former Abraham voters under Rispone after a bitter primary battle. Monroe is Louisiana's eighth-largest city and is at the heart of Abraham's congressional district.
"The people of Louisiana's 5th District love their President and support him all the way," Abraham said in a tweet. "His visit to northeast Louisiana will be a historic moment this region will never forget."
In addition, Trump released an endorsement video on Thursday, urging Louisiana voters to cast their ballots for Rispone and oust Edwards.
Edwards also has been targeting Abraham's voters, hoping to win their support by reminding them of Rispone's attacks on Abraham.
Trump will be flying into friendly territory. Five of Louisiana's six congressmen are Republicans and voted against Thursday morning's vote in the House on an impeachment rules resolution. Abraham was one of those Republicans.
More Elections Headlines on WWLTV.com:
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.