On Saturday, Democrat John Bel Edwards won a second term as governor of Louisiana by defeating wealthy Republican Eddie Rispone. Edwards is the first Democratic chief executive to claim a second consecutive term since Edwin Edwards in 1975, as well as the first incumbent governor to ever win a runoff.
Edwards was always going to face a difficult task winning re-election in a conservative state that Donald Trump carried 58-38, and Rispone, who funded his campaign with millions from his own pockets, benefited from two campaign visits over the final two weeks from Trump himself. However, Edwards proved to be popular throughout his tenure, which allowed him to defy his state’s rightward trend and win.
With his victory, Democrats will maintain control of the one statewide office they still hold in the entire Deep South besides Doug Jones’ Alabama Senate seat. Republicans have also have fallen short in their attempt to win a supermajority in the state House, meaning Democrats will be able to sustain Edwards’ vetoes.