Republican challenger Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA) blasted Democrat John Bel Edwards, Louisiana’s incumbent governor, on Sunday for siding with the four progressive Democrat Congresswomen known as the “Squad” in their attacks on President Trump.
Edwards faces Abraham and businessman Eddie Rispone in the October 12 election for Governor of Louisiana. Under Louisiana’s open “jungle primary,” candidates from all parties participate in the poll. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters face off in a November 16 general election.
In an exclusive interview on Breitbart News Sunday, Abraham told host Matt Boyle, Breitbart’s Washington political editor, Edwards “stands behind those radical Democrats . . . AOC and Omar.”
These are the members of the U.S. Congress, Matt, that have said that thinking about the Holocaust gives them a “calming feeling.”
They said that 9-11 wasn’t that big a deal. They said that they are ashamed of our country.
And now, John Bel’s tweet shows us who he really is. He stands behinds those radical Democrats just like you mentioned, AOC and Omar.
He’s a proud “quote, unquote” Democrat.
What he basically said in his tweet, was if our president stands up to people who consistently bash America and use anti-semitic language that mean’s he’s a racist.
Well, that’s just wrong. It’s just insane.
We’re going to call him about who he is, siding with the Omars and the AOCs and the Tlaibs of the world. And he can’t defend that.
You can listen to the complete interview here:
Edwards recently condemned President Trump for his tweets criticizing the four progressive Democrat Congresswomen known as the “Squad,” –Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI),and Rep. Ayana Pressley (D-MA), as Breitbart News reported:
Democrat Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards condemned President Donald Trump’s “go back” remarks and sided with the Democrats’ so called “squad” on Wednesday.
In a radio appearance, Edwards insisted Trump’s comments were reminiscent of those “made during the civil rights movement.”
“The president has said he didn’t intend for it to be a racist statement,” Edwards stated. “For the people who were targeted you can compare that statement with statements that were made during the civil rights movement.”
Edwards defeated Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) in the November 2015 general election to win his first four-year term as governor.
“Heading into the election, Edwards is the only Democratic governor among the southernmost states, and he is the only Democrat holding statewide office in Louisiana,: Ballotpedia reported.
As of July 15, Abraham has raised $1.6 million this year and has $1.3 million cash-on-hand, Rispone has raised $5.9 million (mostly in personal loans to the campaign) and has $9.6 million cash-on-hand, and Edwards has raised $2.6 million with $9.8 million cash-on-hand, according to Louisiana Ethics Commission data reported by Ballotpedia.
Edwards had a lead of eight points in a three way race, with 42 percent support compared to Abraham’s 34 percent, with Pirone in a distant third with 8 percent, according to a poll conducted in June by Remington Research, which works for the Abraham’s campaign. The same poll showed Abrahams and Edwards tied in a head-to-head matchup, each with the support of 45 percent of likely voters.
A more recent poll conducted by Multi-Quest for Hayride of 601 likely Louisiana voters between July 19 and July 21 shows Edwards with a nine point lead over Abraham, 44 percent to 35 percent, with Rispone far behind in a distant third with 6 percent. Edwards leads in a runoff election with Abraham by 10 points, 49 percent to 39 percent. The poll has a plus or minus 4 percent margin of error.
In May, Edwards signed Louisiana’s heartbeat bill, a move that was seen at the time as an appeal to social conservatives.
But Abraham quickly pointed out that Edwards’ signature on that bill “does not absolve his ties to abortionists,” as Breitbart News reported in an exclusive interview:
Abraham said that he was glad Edwards signed the law, however, he cautioned that the Democrat’s signing of the law was “100 percent politically motivated” because “Lousiana is one of the most pro-life states in America.” Abraham said that if the Democrat governor did not sign the legislation into law, there would be “zero chance” he would be re-elected.
Abraham said, despite his signing the heartbeat bill, he still has many pro-abortion ties.
Rep. Abraham said that state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson railed against the heartbeat bill on the Louisiana Senate floor and on social media and that would not happen unless Gov. Edwards gave his permission to do so.
Despite his larger campaign war chest, Rispone has yet to gain much traction for his campaign. On Monday, he launched his first series of statewide television ads, the Advocate reported.
For his part, Abraham has launched a steady stream of attacks that highlight Edwards’ progressive track record.
Shortly after the first round of 2020 Democrat presidential debates, Abraham criticized Edwards for being part of the the “extremist” Democrat party:
The national Democrats’ extremism as evidenced by the debate positions of presidential candidates last week exposes the party of the incumbent Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, his chief GOP opponent Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA) said on Breitbart News Sunday.
“It showed how unhinged they have become,” Abraham said when asked about the moment when all ten Democrat candidates for president on Thursday evening raised their hands when asked if they would provide government health insurance to illegal aliens. “They have lost touch with reality. They have lost touch with the American people. They are the party of open borders, government-run healthcare, and to fund that you’re looking at 70 percent taxes or greater. It’s just crazy.”
The filing deadline for the October 12 election is August 9. No additional major candidates are expected to join the race prior to the filing deadline.