In his first public comments since election night, Governor Edwards says he’s not daunted by the near supermajority Republicans will have in the new Legislature. The GOP is two seats shy in the House from overriding governor vetoes.
Edwards says he’s worked with both sides of the aisle before, and just because the Capitol is red and he’s blue, doesn’t mean they can’t get some major accomplishments passed.
“It’s not so much the party of the individual, it’s their ability to work constructively and in good faith. I look at the Senate and the House and I believe there are plenty, plenty members who are willing to do that,” says Edwards.
Republicans already held a supermajority in the Senate, but many GOP members in the Upper Chamber are considered more moderate than their Lower Chamber brethren.
Analysts note the increased Republican presence in Baton Rouge will likely doom many of the Governor’s pushes for campaign promises like an increased minimum wage, but Edwards is not deterred.
“I would hope the fact that I was reelected on a platform that included raising the minimum wage means something to the legislature, and I hope that their constituents are telling them that it is something that we need to do,” says Edwards.
The minimum wage is 7.25 an hour in Louisiana. Edwards is backing an effort to raise it to nine dollars an hour over two years.
Edwards made the comments on his first Ask The Governor since winning reelection. Early in the program, he recounted how he got a call from the President, who campaigned against him.
“He congratulated me on the win, and told me that I had done something that he did not think was possible, and that had indicated to him that I was a great campaigner and a good Governor,” says Edwards.
He added Trump mentioned he was looking forward to resuming their working relationship.
