Republican gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone’s rise from statewide unknown to GOP standard-bearer came as a surprise to many political analysts who did not give the Baton Rouge businessman much of a chance of winning nearly a year ago.
UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says analysts underrated Rispone’s uncomplicated, straight forward branding as a President Trump loving businessman. He says it was a clarion call for white voters.
“There is a certain genius in that, you just get rid of all of the other stuff,” says Cross. “It’s not about policies, it’s not about funding, it’s just a gut call, Trump, Trump, check, and it worked. It worked very well.”
Rispone was the first Republican to announce his candidacy when he joined the race late last year.
Cross says Rispone was able to tap into a growing sense of identity politics among many white voters in the United States whose views align closely with Rispone’s messaging.
“There is a thought, particularly among whites in rural areas, that government is the enemy, that those who are working in government cannot be trusted, and that elites are trying to undermine American values,” says Cross.
Cross says roughly 200,000 more rural, mostly white voters showed up to vote in this primary than in 2015’s.
The President and Vice President made visits to Louisiana the week before the election. Cross says the last-minute blitz was effective, and a sign of a changing local political climate.
“I think we are less and less Sui Generis to the extent that our national politics extend all the way down into local races.”
Cross gives Rispone slightly better odds than Governor Edwards in the November 16th primary.
