John Bel Edwards Wins Second Term as Louisiana Governor
Democrat John Bel Edwards wins a second term as governor in deep-red, Republican Louisiana.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Edwards has 51.3% of the vote.
President Trump visited Louisiana three times in recent weeks to campaign for Republican gubernatorial challenger, Eddie Rispone.
As of this writing, Trump has been silent on Twitter regarding the Edwards win (Rispone loss).
Edwards’ win is critical for Louisiana’s infrastructure, including education, both K12 and postsecondary. Under Edwards’ leadership (see here also) in his first term (2016-2020), he fully funded Louisiana’s Taylor Opportunity Scholarship Program (TOPS); supported a state raise for teachers and other school personnel, and investing millions in early childhood education.
Rispone’s most notable connection to education is via US ed sec Betsy DeVos and her national, school-choice organization, American Federation for Children (AFC). Risponse is the former chair of the Louisiana branch of AFC, the Louisiana Federation for Children.
In his 2016 campaign, Edwards said he wanted to get rid of Louisiana state superintendent, John White. However, replacing White would involve a supermajority vote (8 out of 11 members) of the state ed board (BESE), which has been a market-based reform stronghold since out-of-state millions have been CONTINUE READING: John Bel Edwards Wins Second Term as Louisiana Governor | deutsch29
