The third and final Louisiana gubernatorial debate was held on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Shreveport. The debate was the final chance for the gubernatorial election’s front-runners, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, businessman Eddie Rispone and U.S. Representative Ralph Abraham, to question each other and sway voters before the Oct. 12 election.

The first question went to Edwards, who was asked why he wanted to hire Johnny Anderson in the face of his sexual assault allegations from his time at Southern University. Edwards reiterated Anderson was discharged within hours of learning of the allegations against him. 

Next, Rispone was asked if there’s anything about President Donald Trump’s behavior he disagrees with on a moral basis. Rispone said Trump has accomplished everything he said he would do in his presidential campaign, including protecting the nation’s borders. When pressed to fully answer the question, Rispone said everything approaches situations in different ways.

“I don’t judge other people. It’s not up to me to judge someone’s moral character,” Rispone said. “I’m a supporter of Trump and will continue to be a supporter of Trump.”

Abraham was asked if he is unhappy President Trump hasn’t endorsed him outright for governor over Rispone, the other top Republican candidate. Abraham said he wasn’t upset because Trump simply wants a Republican governor in Louisiana again.

Candidates then had the opportunity to ask each other questions. Edwards directed the first candidate-to-candidate question to Abraham, asking him why he missed so many votes in Congress. 

Edwards’ question to Rispone focused on Rispone’s large political donation to former Governor Bobby Jindal’s 2016 campaign. Rispone said his company donated about $2500 to the campaign, which isn’t a large endorsement.

Panelists then continued to ask the candidates questions. Candidates were asked about their plan for diversifying the state’s economy. 

Rispone said he’s the “only job creator running for governor” and said he would concentrate on strengthening existing jobs, especially in the oil and gas and manufacturing industries. 

Abraham began his answer by reminding voters that he’s the only small businessman on the stage. Abraham would also embrace the oil and gas industries, but would also elevate technology.

Edwards said he would continue to focus on workforce development and investments in higher education. 

In the second round of questions, Abraham was the first to answer what he would do to make sure people who receive Medicaid actually deserved it. He said transparency was the answer, especially because another 130,000 people will be removed from Medicaid immediately following the Oct. 12 election due to confusion about who needs the service.

Edwards said that he stood by his decision to expand Medicaid, calling it the “easiest big decision (he’s) ever made.” He also noted the state’s new eligibility check system would replace the old and outdated system. 

Rispone said the state needs to remove abuse and waste because the Medicaid program is unsustainable as it currently is. 

The next question centered around how each candidate planned to fix public schools and how these changes would be paid for. 

Edwards answered that his administration had the highest college graduation rate in the history of the state, with  20 million in early childhood education and the first teacher pay raise in ten years, and that the state is “moving in the right direction.” 

According to Rispone, Edwards has always voted against education reform. Edwards later addressed this claim by saying he voted against unconstitutional education reforms that took funding from local public schools and used it elsewhere. 

Rispone said parents should be given more choice in their children’s education and mentioned his support for charter and home schools.   

Abraham said that he loves the public school system, as someone who attended them, and that while he would make every effort to improve failing schools, parents have the “choice to move their child to a school they feel comfortable in.” 

Rispone then had the opportunity to ask his candidate-to-candidate questions. First, he addressed Gov. Edwards and asked why he supported former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as a super delegate in 2016. Edwards told Rispone he was focusing on the wrong things.

“You’re always focused on Washington D.C.,” Edwards said to Rispone. “I’m focused on the state of Louisiana.” 

Rispone then asked Abraham about his declaration in his last election that he would donate his entire salary to charity, and his apparent reneging that promise. 

Abraham said that this was not true, and that his campaign has kept every promise and “honored every commitment.”

Next, a young adult from Lake Charles asked the candidates how they would plan to ensure TOPS and help students afford college. All candidates said they would do their utmost to fully fund TOPS and support Louisiana’s student population.

When asked which ads have “gotten under their skin,” both Edwards and Abraham said inaccurate lies irritated them the most. Rispone said he doesn’t pay much attention to the ads. 

The next question asked was how candidates justified keeping the extra sales tax with the recent budget surplus. 

Rispone said his administration would give it back and reform the system, in an attempt to make Louisiana competitive. He would also have a constitutional convention to review this. 

Edwards said that the state has been  “plagued by deficits for nine straight years,” and that while they would change the sales tax, it would be by looking forward, instead of dwelling on past surpluses. 

Abraham said he would lower taxes as governor and said the state is losing jobs because of high taxes and the political climate. 

The next question centered around would candidates’ responses would be to a woman whose pregnancy was a result of rape and incest. 

All three candidates said they would pray for the woman, but wouldn’t back down from their pro-life stance. 

For his candidate-to-candidate question, Abraham asked Rispone why he changed his mind on Common Core and how voters could trust him not to change his mind on other issues. 

Rispone said that he’s always supported the government having a heavy influence on public schools, “doing nothing is unacceptable.” 

Abraham then asked Edwards why members of his PAC got contracts for 2016 flooding when some victims of the flood still haven’t received compensation. 

Edwards responded that his program was praised by President Trump, and was submitted faster than any other program. When asked where the money was, he said it “has been spent, and is being spent.”  

Candidates were then instructed to answer “speed round” questions with a “yes” or “no.”

Of the three candidates, only Abraham supported more sales tax exemptions.

Edwards was the only candidate to support increasing the gas tax for bridge projects.

None of the candidates supported legalizing recreational marijuana. 

When asked if college athletes should be paid, Rispone said he doesn’t support it. Edwards said he wasn’t yet completely informed on the issue and said he instructed his staff to research it.

When asked which Louisiana governors they would emulate, all candidates mentioned Mike Foster. Edwards also mentioned Kathleen Blanco. 

Candidates were then asked if politicians should be allowed to send campaign texts. All candidates voiced their frustrations with robo-calls and texts.

Rispone said he was undecided, but that robocalls could be frustrating. Abrhama also said that he hated robocalls, “no robocalls,” and Edwards said he would not be opposed to a blanket prohibition on them. 

Only Edwards agreed that Louisiana should do more to help people with affordable housing. Both Rispone and Abraham said these people should receive help with getting jobs instead.

“You have to give them a job, education and training,” Rispone said.. “That’s how I want to approach it.” 

All three candidates said they would do their best to lower auto insurance rates.

In the closing statements, Edwards said that “we are going to keep going forward or end up in the ditch.”

Rispone said that he would make Louisiana the best if elected, and reform the system.

“We are last. We are 50th,” Rispone said.  “If LSU was 50th in the SEC, we would fire the president, the provost, even down to the poor waterboy.”

Abraham said he would keep his word to the voters and that he was confident that “we have a Louisiana that has so much potential.