Perhaps one of the legacies the recently deceased former Governor, Edwin Edwards, will forever maintain is his slaying of David Duke in a world-wide watched election for the state’s stop spot, Governor of the State of Louisiana.

Is Louisiana a judicial hellhole where decisions by state judges are influenced by campaign contributions?  Apparently, the Louisiana legislature and business lobbying groups think so. In the recent legislative session, laws were passed taking away the authority of state judges to make decisions involving small claims above $10,000.  Evidently elected judges often do not make fair decisions.  Or at least that what insurance companies and other business groups want you to believe.

This year, it was a perfect opportunity for Louisiana Republicans to defeat a vulnerable Democratic Governor, the only one in the Deep South. Unfortunately, once again, the GOP lost a race it surely should have won.

It must be nice to be John Bel Edwards. On Saturday, he was re-elected to a second term with 51% of the vote even though Louisiana is a conservative “red” state. Other than Edwards, all statewide elected officials in Louisiana are Republicans. In 2016, Louisiana voters supported Donald Trump in the presidential election by a 58-38% margin over the Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton.  

As Gomer Pile insightfully said:  Surprise, Surprise, Surprise. There were a number of them on election night in the Bayou State. Governor John Bel Edwards’ quest for a first primary victory fell flat as several factors in the final days of the campaign caused his poll numbers to plummet.  Now voters can look forward to a nasty runoff, with the airwaves filled with a boatload of negative TV and radio spots.

My my!  How things have changed.

It goes without saying that Eddie Rispone is in a surprise runoff with incumbent Democrat, John Bel Edwards for Louisiana Governor. Somehow, a very rich, but politically unknown, Rispone morphed into Donald Trump.  He, wore Trump  around his neck. He  covered himself with Trump cologne and met him at the alter last week along with fellow gubernatorial candidate and ardent Trump name-dropper, Congressman Ralph Abraham.

With the Louisiana statewide election only a few days away, and with many voters already making their way to the polls, it would seem to be a good time for me to gaze into my crystal ball and make a prediction of just who will be successful after all the vote are tallied.  As many of you regular reader well know, I generally am right on the money. (yeah, right!)

For months I have been imploring President Donald Trump to get involved in the Louisiana Governor’s race before the primary election. Initially, it was reported that he would only come to Louisiana for the run-off election.

However, it soon was apparent to this commentator that without the President’s involvement, liberal Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards would probably win the election on October 12 by achieving 50% or more of the votes, thus precluding the need for a run-off election.

It’s Louisiana primary elections 2019, Politics with a Punch time.

Elections are less than two weeks away. Early voting is upon us.  Yard signs are out. Our politicians are knocking upon  our doors.  Our political antennas are piqued. We’re getting political come-ons on our cellphones, appeals in our emails and a barrage of negative ads on our TV’s, tablets and smartphones.

With absentee voting open and a Louisiana statewide election only days away, voters are making their final choices.  In the race for Governor, the undecided vote has dropped to around 10%, about normal prior to a gubernatorial contest just before election day.  But there is one other statewide race on the ballot. Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance. Have voters made their choice in this important office?  Not by a long shot.