Don’t look now, but Gov. Bobby Jindal and Sen. David Vitter may have handed the 2015 gubernatorial race to a Democrat.
The three most recent polls showed Democratic Rep. John Bel Edwards beating Republican Vitter in a runoff election.
Public Policy Polling found 50 percent of those polled supported Edwards for governor, while 38 percent supported Vitter.
Normally, I’d take this poll with a grain of salt, given PPP’s liberal-leaning tendencies, but two other polls supported the finding.
Penn Schoen Berland, another pollster, found Edwards winning 53-32. The Advocate released a poll with Clarus Research Group and found Edwards winning 45-41.
I’m skeptical of an Edwards’ governorship becoming a reality in a state that ousted Mary Landrieu in 2014 and hasn’t voted for a Democratic president since 1996.
Louisiana isn’t going to turn into the blue socialist paradise I aspire it to be. Edwards won’t be the Elizabeth Warren Democrat or Bernie Sanders socialist who will push for tuition-free college or universal health care. You can still live in the capitalist society you, somehow, love.
These polls instead suggest Louisiana’s frustration with political partisanship, and Republicans moved farther right faster than Democrats moved left, especially in Louisiana.
The Poole-Rosenthal Data found while 90 percent of House Republicans aren’t moderate, only 10 percent of House Democrats aren’t moderate.
Jindal and Vitter are the epitome of Republican partisanship in Louisiana politics. Senators ranked Vitter as the second-least bipartisan Republican, and he’s been ranked as one of the most corrupt members of Congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Louisiana’s destruction began when Jindal took office. He’s alienated an entire generation of college students by repeatedly cutting spending on higher education, and eliminated any chance Louisiana’s LGBT community would ever consider voting Republican by making Louisiana the last state to issue gay marriage licenses.
He chose failed fiscal and social ideology over what would make Louisiana better. Voters are clearly tired and will respond by ousting partisanship from the governor’s mansion. By his voting record, Edwards is the most moderate of all candidates running.
Edwards is on the ballot as a Democrat, but he’s a pro-gun, anti-gay, anti-abortion Democrat. He favors raising the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid and increasing funding for higher education, but most of his positions are relatively conservative compared to national Democrats.
His conservative streak gives him the ability to compromise with Republicans, and his party affiliation can help appease liberal frustration.
Louisiana voters are still conservative compared to national voters. Gallup found Louisiana is the third most conservative state in the country, right behind Mississippi and Alabama.
If Vitter wasn’t in the race, I’m sure Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle or Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne would win the governor’s office without question. Vitter sucks up too much of the GOP electorate for the others to make a splash, however.
Louisiana didn’t lose its conservative streak, but voters finally decided to vote in their best interest. And Vitter isn’t this state’s best interest.
Louisiana needs a governor who supports social welfare funding for our poorest residents and will increase revenue for the government to combat income inequality.
Students, in particular, need a governor who will increase funding for higher education back to its pre-recession levels. NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reported Louisiana cut higher education funding by $673 million since 2008.
Edwards consistently voted to fund higher education on the state level. During the budget cuts protest in the spring, he was the only gubernatorial candidate to speak at the event.
Vitter, on the other hand, voted against federal funding for higher education. He voted against increasing Pell Grants, and he’s against allowing students to refinance their loans after they graduate. His record against students can’t go unnoticed.
The election date is Oct. 24, and the runoff election is Nov. 21, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. Make sure you get off your lazy butts and vote for the guy who actually cares about us.
Cody Sibley is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Opelousas, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter at @CodySibley.