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{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|name= John Bel Edwards
|name=John Bel Edwards
|image=John Bel Edwards of LA.jpg
|office=56th [[Governor]] of [[Louisiana]]
|office=56th [[Governor]] of [[Louisiana]]
|term_start= January 11, 2016
|term_start=January 11, 2016
|term_end=
|term_end=January 2024
|predecessor=[[Bobby Jindal]]
|predecessor=[[Bobby Jindal]]
|successor=
|successor= [[Jeff Landry]]
|office2=Minority Leader of the<br> Louisiana House of Representatives
|office2=Minority Leader of the<br> Louisiana House of Representatives
|term_start2=January 9, 2012
|term_start2=January 9, 2012
|term_end2=December 10, 2015
|term_end2=December 10, 2015
|predecessor2=[[Jane Holland Smith]]
|predecessor2=[[Jane H. Smith|Jane Holland Smith]]
|successor2=[[Gene Reynolds|Harlie Eugene "Gene" Reynolds, Jr.]]
|successor2=[[Gene Reynolds|Harlie Eugene "Gene" Reynolds, Jr.]]
|office3=Louisiana State Representative for District 72 (Tangipahoa Parish)
|office3=Louisiana State Representative for District 72 (Tangipahoa Parish)
|religion=[[Roman Catholic]]
|religion=[[Roman Catholic]]
}}
}}
'''John Bel Edwards''' (born September 16, 1966) is the [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[governor]] of his native [[Louisiana]], who won reelection in a runoff contest held on November 16, 2019. By 40,000 votes, he defeated the [[Republican Party|Republican]] choice, [[Baton Rouge]] [[business]]man [[Eddie Rispone]].
'''John Bel Edwards''' (born September 16, 1966) is the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] former [[governor]] of his native [[Louisiana]], who won reelection in a runoff contest held on November 16, 2019. By exactly 40,000 votes (51-49 percent), he defeated the [[Republican Party|Republican]] choice that year, [[Baton Rouge]] [[business]]man [[Eddie Rispone]].
==Background==
==Background==
A graduate of the [[United States Military Academy]] at [[West Point]], [[New York]] and an [[attorney]], Edwards was state representative for District 72 in Tangipahoa Parish, one of the Florida Parishes east of [[Baton Rouge]]. He is a long-term supporter and former delegate for former [[U.S. President]] [[Barack H. Obama]] and the party's 2016 nominee, [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]], though Edwards proclaims a [[pro-life]] position on [[abortion]]. His runoff opponent in 2015, then [[U.S. Senator]] [[David Vitter]], failed to make Edwards' connection to Obama and the Clintons register with a majority of voters.
A graduate of the [[United States Military Academy]] at [[West Point]], [[New York]] and an [[attorney]], Edwards was state representative for District 72 in Tangipahoa Parish, one of the Florida Parishes east of [[Baton Rouge]]. He is a long-term supporter and former delegate for former [[U.S. President]] [[Barack H. Obama]] and the party's 2016 nominee, [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] and the 2020 nominee [[Joe Biden]]. However, Edwards proclaims a [[pro-life]] position on [[abortion]] even though he kept abortion mills open during the [[coronavirus]] [[pandemic]], when he was given the power to close them. His runoff opponent in 2015, then [[U.S. Senator]] [[David Vitter]], failed to make Edwards' connection to Obama and the Clintons register with a majority of voters.
==Gubernatorial matters==
==Gubernatorial matters==
In the general election held on November 21, 2015, Edwards won his first term as governor by defeating Vitter, 646,865 (56.1 percent) to 505,933 (43.9 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11212015/11212015_Statewide.html|title=Results for Election Date: 11/21/2015|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=November 29, 2015}}</ref> On January 11, 2016, Edwards succeeded the term-limited Republican Governor [[Bobby Jindal]], who had dropped his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
In the general election held on November 21, 2015, Edwards won his first term as governor by defeating Vitter, 646,865 (56.1 percent) to 505,933 (43.9 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11212015/11212015_Statewide.html|title=Results for Election Date: 11/21/2015|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=November 29, 2015}}</ref> On January 11, 2016, Edwards succeeded the term-limited Republican Governor [[Bobby Jindal]], who had dropped his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
As governor-elect, Edwards named term-limited Democratic state Senator [[Ben Nevers]] of Bogalusa as his chief of staff. Laura Leach of [[Lake Charles]], wealthy wife of former U.S. Representative Anthony Claude "Buddy" Leach, and [[African-American]] [[Mayor]] Jamie Mayo of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] joined his transition team.
As governor-elect, Edwards named term-limited Democratic state Senator [[Ben Nevers]] of Bogalusa as his chief of staff. Laura Leach of [[Lake Charles]], wealthy wife of former U.S. Representative [[Buddy Leach|Anthony Claude "Buddy" Leach, Jr.]], and [[African-American]] then [[Mayor]] Jamie Mayo of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] joined his transition team.
Governor Edwards pushed for various tax increases in an effort to close a large state operating deficit. One of his press spokespersons is [[Jim Beam]] of [[Lake Charles]], who has argued for the need of greater state revenues. The push for taxes has brought the governor in repeated conflict with outgoing Republican House Speaker [[Taylor Barras]] of New Iberia, but Barras is expected to be succeeded in 2020 as Speaker by Republican [[Sherman Mack]].
Governor Edwards pushed for various tax increases in an effort to close a large state operating deficit. One of his press spokespersons is [[Jim Beam]] of [[Lake Charles]], who has argued for the need of greater state revenues. The push for taxes has brought the governor in repeated conflict with outgoing Republican House Speaker [[Taylor Barras]] of New Iberia, but Barras is expected to be succeeded in 2020 as Speaker by Republican [[Sherman Mack]].
In June 2018, Senator John Kennedy called upon Governor John Bel Edwards to step down from his position and turn the office over to Lieutenant Governor [[Billy Nungesser]], a [[Moderate Republican]]. Kennedy is critical of Edwards' repeated calling of special legislative sessions to obtain more tax increases to close a state budget deficit. Kennedy maintains spending must first be reduced before higher taxes should be considered. Edwards' office called Kennedy's demand "absurd." At issue is the yet unapproved renewal of a "temporary" one-cent state [[sales tax]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_a5197e72-6e5c-11e8-a322-fff7ebf6289f.html|title=Sen. John Kennedy: John Bel Edwards should resign; governor's office says that's 'absurd' |publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=June 12, 2018|author=Elizabeth Crisp|accessdate=June 13, 2018}}</ref> Kennedy's opposition to Edwards drew the scrutiny of the [[liberal]] ''Baton Rouge Advocate'' newspaper, which claimed the U.S. senator is using his office as "a platform for politically absurd suggestions" and should instead "focus on what is really important to those that elected him. The U.S. Senate, Kennedy's ostensible workplace, hasn't exactly been a model of accomplishment lately. If the senator is worried about the lack of political leadership these days, he should start by looking into the mirror."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/our_views/article_86570780-6e7e-11e8-b7ff-23a402c6376d.html|title=Our Views: John Kennedy worried about lack of leadership? He should look into the mirror (commentary)|publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=June 12, 2018|accessdate=June 13, 2018}}</ref>
In June 2018, Senator John Kennedy called upon Governor John Bel Edwards to step down from his position and turn the office over to Lieutenant Governor [[Billy Nungesser]], a [[Moderate Republican]]. Kennedy is critical of Edwards' repeated calling of special legislative sessions to obtain more tax increases to close a state budget deficit. Kennedy maintains spending must first be reduced before higher taxes should be considered. Edwards' office called Kennedy's demand "absurd." At issue is the yet unapproved renewal of a "temporary" one-cent state [[sales tax]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_a5197e72-6e5c-11e8-a322-fff7ebf6289f.html|title=Sen. John Kennedy: John Bel Edwards should resign; governor's office says that's 'absurd' |publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=June 12, 2018|author=Elizabeth Crisp|accessdate=June 13, 2018}}</ref> Kennedy's opposition to Edwards drew the scrutiny of the [[liberal]] ''Baton Rouge Advocate'' newspaper, which claimed the U.S. senator is using his office as "a platform for politically absurd suggestions" and should instead "focus on what is really important to those that elected him. The U.S. Senate, Kennedy's ostensible workplace, hasn't exactly been a model of accomplishment lately. If the senator is worried about the lack of political leadership these days, he should start by looking into the mirror."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/our_views/article_86570780-6e7e-11e8-b7ff-23a402c6376d.html|title=Our Views: John Kennedy worried about lack of leadership? He should look into the mirror (commentary)|publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=June 12, 2018|accessdate=June 13, 2018}}</ref>
Ultimately after seven special sessions since 2016, enough Republican members of the House, such as Moderate Republican [[Rob Shadoin]] of [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]], who left the legislature to join the Edwards administration, and the more [[conservative]] [[Frank A. Hoffmann]] of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], term-limited in 2020, capitulated to approve a .45 percent of the expiring one-cent sales tax. When rounded, the .45 becomes the same .5 percent presented as Edwards' final offer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_8424e9a0-7630-11e8-9da8-67b9c39c5df5.html|title=Deal brokered: Louisiana House advances sales tax bill; here are next steps|author=Elizabeth Crisp|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=June 22, 2018|accessdate=June 23, 2018}}</ref> The measure heads for certain passage in the state Senate, which though nominally Republican is run by [[Moderate Republican]] and former long-term Democrat [[John Alario]], the Senate president who has long advocated for tax increases as well. Alario is expected to be succeeded as Senate Presdent in 2020 by the Republican [[Page Cortez]] of [[Lafayette]]. Governor Edwards also obtained additional energy revenues in 2019 and funds from the taxation of goods and services sold on-line, as permitted through a [[United States Supreme Court]] ruling.
Ultimately after seven special sessions since 2016, enough Republican members of the House, such as Moderate Republican [[Rob Shadoin]] of [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]], who left the legislature to join the Edwards administration, and the more [[conservative]] [[Frank A. Hoffmann]] of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], term-limited in 2020, capitulated to approve a .45 percent of the expiring one-cent sales tax. When rounded, the .45 becomes the same .5 percent presented as Edwards' final offer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_8424e9a0-7630-11e8-9da8-67b9c39c5df5.html|title=Deal brokered: Louisiana House advances sales tax bill; here are next steps|author=Elizabeth Crisp|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=June 22, 2018|accessdate=June 23, 2018}}</ref> The measure heads for certain passage in the state Senate, which though nominally Republican is run by [[Moderate Republican]] and former long-term Democrat [[John Alario]], the Senate president who has long advocated for tax increases as well. Alario is expected to be succeeded as Senate President in 2020 by the Republican [[Page Cortez]] of [[Lafayette]]. Governor Edwards also obtained additional energy revenues in 2019 and funds from the taxation of goods and services sold on-line, as permitted through a [[United States Supreme Court]] ruling.
===Reelection in 2019===
===Reelection in 2019===
Also on the statewide ballot on November 16, 2019, was the race for secretary of state between Republican incumbent [[Kyle Ardoin]] and his second-time Democrat opponent, Gwen Collins-Greenup, a court administrator from Clinton in East Feliciana Parish.
Also on the statewide ballot on November 16, 2019, was the race for secretary of state between Republican incumbent [[Kyle Ardoin]] and his second-time Democrat opponent, Gwen Collins-Greenup, a court administrator from Clinton in East Feliciana Parish.
==Edwards endorses transgenders in women's sports==
Louisiana remains a state which permits transgender men to compete in women sports, a practiced banned in the more conservative states. In 200. In 2021, Edwards vetoed legislation passed by both legislative chambers that would have banned transgenders from women's sports competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lailluminator.com/2021/06/22/louisiana-governor-vetoes-transgender-sports-ban/|title=Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards vetoes ban on transgender women and girls in women’s sports: Lawmakers passed the bill with overwhelming support|author=Julie O'Donoghue|publisher=lailluminator.com|date=June 22, 2021|accessdate=March 11, 2022}}</ref>
In 2022, however, Edwards withdrew his endorsement of men in women's sport, and the Fairness in Women's Sports Act was enacted without a second veto.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/06/politics/louisiana-anti-trans-sports-ban-enacted/index.html|title=Louisiana enacts anti-trans sports ban after its Democratic governor declines to take action|publisher=cnn.com|date=June 6, 2022|accessdate=January 14, 2024}}</ref>
==Edwards reaffirms his "pro-life" stance==
In the spring of 2020, Edwards gained repeated national television exposure regarding how hard Louisiana has been hit in the [[coronavirus]] pandemic, particularly New Orleans during [[Mardi Gras]]. Edwards issued a "stay-at-home" order, including churches, but he exempted [[abortion]] clinics from the order though he has long-claimed a "pro-life" position. When he ran for governor in 2015, he cut an advertisement explaining that he and his wife, Donna, had not aborted a child diagnosed as special-needs while still in the womb. He also signed in his first term an anti-abortion bill since held in abeyance by federal courts. The legislation had large bipartisan majorities in both houses of the legislature..<ref>''[[Moon Griffon|The Moon Griffon Show]],'' April 6, 2020.</ref> Radio commentator [[Moon Griffon]] has been a persistent critic of the governor, who he has called "St. Bel" because of what Griffon sees as the governor's sanctimonious political stances.
In June 2022, Edwards reaffirmed his opposition to abortion by signing into law a pro-life bill that will ban abortions immediately as soon as the [[United States Supreme Court]] overturns the 1973 ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' opinion. Edwards signed another bill which bans mail-order abortions to ensure that abortion pills that harm women and kill unborn babies are not sold in Louisiana. He also signed into law Senate Bill 342, the Reaffirmation of the Human Life Protection Act by Democrat Senator Katrina Jackson, and Senate Bill 388, the Mail-Order Abortion Prohibition Act by Republican state Senator Sharon Hewitt, an unsuccessful guberatorial candidate in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/louisiana-governor-signs-abortion-bills-imposing-criminal-penalties/story?id=85258010|title=Louisiana governor signs abortion bills imposing criminal penalties on providers. There are no exceptions for abortions performed in cases of rape or incest|publisher=[[ABC]] News|date=June 21, 2022|author=Mary Kekatos|accessdate=June 22, 2022}}</ref>
==Ronald Greene case==
In 2019, while Governor Edwards sought reelection, a 49-year-old African-American motorist, Ronald Greene of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], died in the custody of state police amid questionable circumstances. Long-withheld body camera footage reveals that white troopers brutalized Greene on a rural roadside in northeast Louisiana. Controversy remains whether Edwards knew at the time the details of Greene's death. The cause of death had been initially listed as a car crash.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/louisiana-releases-footage-ronald-greene-s-arrest-ex-officers-say-n1268223|title=Louisiana releases footage of Ronald Greene's arrest that ex-officers say further erodes trust in police: An autopsy report cites multiple contributing factors in Greene's May 2019 death, including injuries to his head and restraint.|publisher=[[NBC]] News|date=May 21, 2021|accessdate=March 10, 2022}}</ref>
==Veto of congressional redistricting bill==
In March 2022, Edwards vetoed the congressional [[redistricting]] bill because it maintains only one district with a majority of voters being African-American, a heavily Democrat constituency in Louisiana. Edwards instructed the lawmakers to shift boundaries so as to create a second African-American majority distict. Lawmakers in both houses voted by more than two thirds to override Edwards' veto.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/louisiana-governor-vetoes-new-congressional-map/ar-AAURf73?ocid=msedgntp|title=Louisiana governor vetoes new congressional map|publisher=msn.com|date=March 9, 2022|accessdate=March 10, 2022}}</ref>
Republican state Senator Sharon Woodall Hewitt, who represents portions of St. Tammany, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes in suburban New Orleans, explained the legal ramifications of the districting process: “You know on the one hand we had the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which says if you have a minority population of a sufficient size that’s geographically compact, it would perform as a minority district, you have to draw a minority district,” Hewitt said. "And then on the other side, we’ve got the [[14th Amendment]] and the [[Equal Protection Clause]] that says you cannot use race as the predominant reason for drawing a district. So that’s the lane that we were given to navigate. And unfortunately, this is not something you can do based on emotion, we have to follow the federal and state laws.”<ref name=redriverradio/>
The veto override was only the third such occurrence since the implementation of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974.<ref name=redriverradio>{{cite web|url=https://www.redriverradio.org/news/2022-03-31/la-lawmakers-override-gov-edwards-redistricting-maps-veto?msclkid=f8c3d291b12911ec986b177e13cfa6a6|title=LA Lawmakers Override Governor Edwards' Redistricting Maps Veto|publisher=Red River Radio|author=Chuck Smith|date=March 31, 2022}}</ref> Civil rights groups immediately filed suit against the legislative map. The lawmakers "once again voted in favor of a map that violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and undermines the will of thousands of Louisianans who made their voices heard throughout the process demanding fair maps and respect for Black Louisianans," according to Victoria Wengerr, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. At issue is whether a predominantly black district must be compact as with District 2 in Louisian, or if a second district can be carved irregularly so as to link minority communities across wide swaths of geography.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/2022/03/31/civil-rights-groups-file-lawsuit-block-louisianas-congressional-map/7228870001/|title=Civil rights groups sue to block Louisiana's congressional map that keeps one Black district|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk''|author=[[Greg Hilburn]]|date=March 31, 2022|accessdate=April 1, 2022}}</ref>
Federal judges have now ordered a second minority U.S. House district. The matter heads to the legislature in 2024, just days after the inauguration of new Governor [[Jeff Landry]]. The white lawmaker expected to be eliminated through redistricting is [[Garret Graves]] of Baton Rouge.
==References==
==References==
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Democrats]]
[[Category:Democrats]]
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Lawyers]]
[[Category:State Representatives]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Louisiana Governors]]
[[Category:Louisiana Governors]]
[[Category:Democratic Governors]]
[[Category:Democratic Governors]]
[[Category:Catholic Politicians]]
[[Category:Catholic Politicians]]
[[Category:Inductees of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Inductees of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Moderate Democrats]]