On October 12th voters across the state will select a governor for the next four years; we encourage our readers to consider John Bel Edwards.
Governor Edwards is the best choice because he has shown some sensitivity to issues that affect working people and the poor.
On his first day in office as Governor, he took action to expand Medicaid availability to the poor. It insured that 465,000 of the state’s working poor would continue to have health care.
He signed ten bills into law that jointly are working to correct Louisiana’s history of criminal injustice to the poor and minorities. He organized a commission that sponsored the bills and pushed them through.
One of those bills resulted in a constitutional amendment that now requires a unanimous jury to convict suspects facing long term imprisonment.
During Governor Edwards’ tenure, the state’s unemployment rate has been halved, and he fought the battles necessary to not only balance the state budget but to create a budget surplus.
His last achievement was a push to get a $1,000 pay raise for teachers in the state.
We support his re-election because he is the best choice. His two Republican opponents offer poor people little hope of reforms that will help.
Louisiana is an extremely conservative state that believes in God, Guns, Pro-Life. The Republican Party reflects that view. The Democratic party, as a general rule, believes in Justice, charity, and pro-choice. The Democratic Party is becoming more black, and the Republican Party is nearly all white.
In the October 12th election Edwards, a Democrat, represents the best of both worlds.
Edwards is the best choice we have considering the reality of politics in Louisiana. While he is sympathetic to many of the issues of working people, at his core, he is basically “God, Guns, and Pro-life.” That’s why he was able to get bipartisan support for those issues he thought were important. What makes him different is his willingness to include issues important to working people on his shortlist.
In the era of Trump, he is the working man’s best choice.
We should turn out in large numbers to re-elect him, with the full understanding that it takes a unique person to get the Louisiana Legislature to do anything for poor people.
We think Governor Edwards is a unique person who can walk the tightrope necessary to keep the state fiscally strong while responding to the needs of its poor and working people at the same time.
Let’s give him another term.
