BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Latest on Louisiana election (all times local):
10:50 p.m.
Republican Eddie Rispone says he’s disappointed at losing the Louisiana governor’s race but he’s thankful for his family and supporters and vowed to continue to work to improve the state.
Rispone spoke late Saturday in Baton Rouge after losing to the incumbent, Democrat John Bel Edwards.
He called on supporters to give a round of applause for President Donald Trump, noting that the president came down three times to the state to campaign.
Speaking of the president, Rispone said: “That man loves America and he loves Louisiana.”
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10:20 p.m.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has appeared before a crowd of supporters and declared victory in a tight race for reelection.
As exhilarated supporters chanted the familiar Louisiana refrain, “Who dat!” Edwards told the audience, “How sweet it is.”
On Saturday, voters narrowly reelected Edwards to a second term, snubbing Republican businessman Eddie Rispone who had strong support from President Donald Trump. Edwards said he spoke with Rispone earlier in the evening.
He added, “And as for the president, God bless his heart.”
Louisiana’s only Democratic statewide elected official withstood an onslaught of national Republican opposition and hung on to the seat by focusing on state-specific issues and his record of bipartisanship.
Edwards was helped when Louisiana’s top-tier GOP officials decided against running for the seat.
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10:05 p.m.
Voters in the New Orleans area have chosen a new Louisiana Supreme Court justice, in a competition between two Republican state appeals court judges.
Will Crain, of Madisonville, won Saturday’s runoff election against Hans Liljeberg, of Metairie.
The competition drew little noticeable attention from voters, but it found interest from the business and legal communities.
Crain was backed by business and energy groups that oppose lawsuits against the oil and gas industry for wetlands damage in Louisiana. Liljeberg was supported by several legal firms that have filed such lawsuits against the oil and gas industry.
The seat was left vacant when former Justice Greg Guidry was confirmed to a lifetime federal judgeship. With Saturday’s decision, the court will return to its full slate of seven justices.
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10 p.m.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards will keep his job as the Deep South’s only Democratic governor, in a blow to President Donald Trump, who tried to boost his opponent.
On Saturday, voters narrowly reelected Edwards to a second term, snubbing Republican businessman Eddie Rispone deep in the heart of Trump country.
Louisiana’s only Democratic statewide elected official withstood an onslaught of national Republican opposition and hung on to the seat by focusing on state-specific issues and his record of bipartisanship.
Edwards was helped when Louisiana’s top-tier GOP officials decided against running for the seat.
Rispone had never sought public office and had little name recognition. The wealthy industrial contractor poured millions of his own money into the campaign and wrapped himself in his support for Trump, trying to nationalize the race.
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9:15 p.m.
Republican Kyle Ardoin has won his first full term as Louisiana’s chief elections official, the secretary of state.
Ardoin defeated Democratic challenger Gwen Collins-Greenup in Saturday’s election.
The runoff was a rematch of the special election Ardoin won last year.
Ardoin was a top deputy to former Secretary of State Tom Schedler, a Republican who resigned in 2018 amid sexual harassment allegations. Ardoin took over the position, then won the election to serve the final year of Schedler’s term.
Collins-Greenup has worked in notary and real estate businesses and is a former city court administrator and clerk of court employee. She’s did little fundraising to compete for the position.
The two contenders never faced off in a public forum ahead of the election.
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8 p.m.
Polls have closed in Louisiana, where a runoff election is deciding if the Deep South’s only Democratic governor can reach a second term despite opposition from President Donald Trump.
Saturday’s competition between Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards and Republican businessman Eddie Rispone is tight. Trump made three visits to Louisiana during the race, trying to keep Edwards from victory.
The president particularly wants to capture Louisiana’s governorship for Republicans after Democrats ousted a GOP incumbent in Kentucky. Trump’s made the race a test of his political prowess amid the Democrats’ impeachment hearings in Washington.
Edwards ran on state-specific issues, trying to steer clear of national politics.
Also on the ballot was a rematch in the Louisiana secretary of state’s race between Republican incumbent Kyle Ardoin and Democratic challenger Gwen Collins-Greenup.
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00:15 a.m.
Louisiana voters are settling the nation’s last 2019 gubernatorial contest Saturday. They are deciding whether to give the Deep South’s only Democratic governor a second term or replace him with a Republican businessman favored by President Donald Trump.
Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards faces a strong challenge from Republican businessman Eddie Rispone.
Rispone hopes Trump’s coattails help him secure a victory in the crimson state where the president remains popular. Edwards hopes his performance across four years gives him the crossover support to win reelection.
Also on the ballot are a rematch for Louisiana secretary of state, 29 legislative races that will determine if Republicans gain a House supermajority, and the competition for a vacant state Supreme Court seat.
Polls close at 8 p.m. Saturday.
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