President Donald Trump will urge Louisiana voters to vote Republican Saturday for either Eddie Rispone or Ralph Abraham when he holds a rally in Lake Charles Friday night at 7 PM. Republican National Committee Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany says Louisiana is a pro-Trump state that needs Republican leadership in the governor’s mansion
“We need a Republican Governor in the state of Louisiana, Louisiana is not just a Republican state, it’s a Trump state,” says McEnany. ”For President Trump, he wants to go down there and share his support for the Republican candidates.”
Earlier this week President Trump tweeted that Governor Edwards was a Pelosi Democrat, who would never be “for us”.
But Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Handwerk says President Trump’s visit shows just how worried Republicans are that they can not unseat a popular Governor.
“We’ve seen (Edwards) out there working across party lines,” says Handwerk. ”Even when he gets told no he keeps working to try and find bipartisan solutions.”
Edwards is polling between 43 and 48% in recent independent polls, just shy of the 50% plus one vote needed to win outright.
McEnany says expect the President to pack out the Sudduth Coliseum with supporters eager to hear his thoughts on the election 12 hours before the polls open.
“The atmosphere is really electric,” says McEnany. “In fact, we routinely see campsites ahead of the rally to show what enormous support the President has.”
President Trump’s approval is in the mid to low 50s in Louisiana according to recent polls.
Handwerk says Trump’s visit just brings hostile, national-style politics to a state that is learning to work together under Edwards’ leadership.
“What we are most worried about is the hyper-partisanship that we are seeing from Washington D.C. being visited down here. That is really unfortunate for us,” says Handwerk.
