Governor John Bel Edwards continues to raise more money than his two Republican challengers. New campaign finance reports show Edwards raised 1.7 million dollars in the latest quarter and has nearly six-million dollars available as he tries to avoid a runoff.
So I wouldn’t be surprised if he would use about three to three-point five million of those dollars just to try and ensure he doesn’t have a runoff,” said UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross.
Edwards raised twice as much as Republican challenger Ralph Abraham. The Congressman has 1.4 million in cash on hand and Cross says if Abraham gets in a runoff, he will have few available dollars.
“Abraham would be faced with doing all of his fundraising in the middle of trying to run a runoff campaign against John Bel Edwards if he gets there,” said Cross.
Republican businessman Eddie Rispone, who finished third in two recent independent polls, has six-point-three-million dollars in cash on hand after loaned his campaign another one-point-five million dollars. Cross says Rispone needs to spend all of that money.
“So it’s time to put all of the chips on the table and roll em, if you are Eddie Rispone,” said Cross.
