Governor John Bel Edwards smiles as he thanks his wife Donna for serving as First Lady during his final State of the State address. April 10, 2023.
National Democrats are reportedly encouraging former Governor John Bel Edwards to run for Senate in 2026 against Republican Senator Bill Cassidy. The New York Times reports Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke with Edwards on two difference occasions about the race, once over the phone and once in person. Edwards reportedly told Schumer to check back with him around August. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Edwards said he would stay out of politics, once his second term as governor ended in 2024, but people can change their mind.
“You never say never. It’s certainly something that he can tell voters that he’s decided to get back into politics and nobody’s gonna be mad at him for doing that.”
The 2026 election will feature separate closed primaries, with Republican and Democratic voters selecting a candidate from their party to run in the general election in November. Edwards would likely dominate the Democratic primary if he chose to run. Pinsonat says the big question will be how the closed primary will affect Cassidy.
“If you look at the changes that the Legislature made by the primary system instead of the general election, where you had everybody running in both parties. We just don’t know how this is going to affect, especially the Republicans,” Pinsonat said.
Cassidy is considered vulnerable among Trump loyalists due to his vote to convict the current President in his 2021 impeachment trial. Pinsonat says there’s no guarantee Cassidy will be re-elected, even though he has a campaign war chest of over seven million dollars.
“I don’t think any Republican out there thinks that this is a lock since Trump is President,” Pinsonat said. “Our election system and the infighting among Republicans can easily elect another Democrat.”
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