A new southern democratic governor in the works?
Southern politics continues to baffle. Democrats lost a governorship to Republicans when Matt Bevin (R-KY) beat Jack Conway (D-KY) in Kentucky this week. Today it seems like Democrats may be able to win a governorship in the Deep South.
David Vitter (R-LA) and John Bel Edwards (D-LA) are in a runoff for Louisiana governor. The last few polls all have John Bel Edwards with commanding leads over David Vitter. Moreover, in the last three polls Edwards is over the magical fifty percent mark.
The latest poll, conducted by Market Research Insight pollster Verne Kennedy for an independent group of businesspeople that includes John Georges, CEO of Georges Media Group, which owns The Advocate, found Edwards leading Vitter 54 percent to 38 percent or 51 percent to 40 percent, depending on black voter turnout (25 percent or 20 percent, respectively).
On Monday, WVLA-TV of Baton Rouge released a poll conducted by JMC Analytics that showed Edwards at 52 percent to Vitter’s 32 percent.
And last week, the anti-Vitter Gumbo PAC unveiled a poll conducted on its behalf by Obama-pollster Anzalone Liszt Grove Research, that showed Edwards besting Vitter 52 percent to 40 percent.
Things continue to get better for John Bel Edwards. One of the other Republicans who ran in the governor’s race has endorsed Edwards.
Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, one of three Republican opponents of Democrat John Bel Edwards in the governor’s race primary, crossed party lines Thursday (Nov. 5) to endorse Edwards over Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter.
“The Republican brand has been damaged by the failed leadership of Bobby Jindal during this last term,” Dardenne said in making his announcement. “David Vitter’s governorship will further damage that brand as I and others have pointed out during the campaign. I cannot and will not sit idly by and refuse to speak truth to power.”
Just maybe the Democratic Party still has some life statewide in Louisiana. That is a good thing as at least two parties are needed to prevent excesses. In the case of Louisiana, they need a Democrat to bring money into the state from Obamacare. Louisiana has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country.