Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Trending
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / 2015 Campaign / How John Bel Edwards Won an Improbable Race

How John Bel Edwards Won an Improbable Race

November 30, 2015 at 11:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 20 Comments

The Baton Rouge Advocate looks at how Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards (D) unexpectedly prevailed in the Louisiana governor’s race.

“Edwards needed some luck. Lots of luck, in fact. To make the runoff, he had to be the only Democratic candidate. That happened: Bigger names passed up the race because they thought it was unwinnable.”

“And he needed Vitter to emerge from the primary wounded. That happened, too, thanks to a savage war among the Republican candidates, initiated by Vitter, and attacks from an anti-Vitter group.”

FavoriteLoadingSave to Favorites
  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: 2015 Campaign Tagged With: John Bel Edwards, LA-Gov


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

  • ✔ Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
  • ✔ If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.



Recent Posts

U.S. Has More Than 1,100 Measles Cases

February 27, 2026 at 12:11 pm ESTFebruary 27, 2026 at 12:20 pm EST

“The U.S. has recorded more than 1,100 measles cases so far this year, according to data published Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” CNN reports. “It’s…

Democrats Say They Have the Votes to Subpoena Lutnick

February 27, 2026 at 12:08 pm EST

“Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have the votes to force Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify before their panel about his relationship with convicted sex offender…

Bill Clinton Says He ‘Did Nothing Wrong’

February 27, 2026 at 12:04 pm EST

Bill Clinton told the House Oversight Committee that his “brief acquaintance with Jeffrey Epstein ended years before his crimes came to light,” the AP reports. Said Clinton: “I saw nothing,…

U.S. Tells Embassy Staff in Israel They Can Leave

February 27, 2026 at 12:00 pm ESTFebruary 27, 2026 at 12:06 pm EST

“With the threat of a U.S. strike on Iran looming, the United States embassy in Jerusalem has told its workers that they may leave Israel and warned them that if…

Trump to Spin Off Truth Social

February 27, 2026 at 11:51 am ESTFebruary 27, 2026 at 11:51 am EST

“Trump Media & Technology Group said Friday it is in talks to spin off Truth Social into a new publicly traded company,” Axios reports. “Trump’s eponymous company began exclusively as…

Thune Warns Texas Senate Seat Could Flip

February 27, 2026 at 11:32 am EST

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is warning that the Texas Senate seat long held by Sen. John Cornyn (R) could flip to Democrats in the November election if the…

CNN Anxiety Mounts as Paramount Nears Control

February 27, 2026 at 11:30 am ESTFebruary 27, 2026 at 11:42 am EST

The Wrap: “Anxiety is high inside CNN, as staffers grapple with the growing likelihood that Paramount’s David Ellison — who appointed Free Press cofounder Bari Weiss to reshape CBS News…

Thanks to a Sponsor!

February 27, 2026 at 11:26 am ESTFebruary 27, 2026 at 11:26 am EST

Your personal data is being sold to data brokers right now. Incogni helps wipe them from hundreds of sites automatically and keeps them off. You can get 55% off with…

Charlie Kirk Is All Over GOP Campaign Ads

February 27, 2026 at 11:21 am EST

“Donald Trump’s endorsement remains the most valuable asset in GOP primaries. But after the president, it’s Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and Turning Point USA leader who was killed on…

GOP Lawmaker Has ‘Terminal Diagnosis’

February 27, 2026 at 10:40 am ESTFebruary 27, 2026 at 10:42 am EST

Speaker Mike Johnson told Republican donors that Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) may have a “terminal diagnosis,” Punchbowl News reports. Dunn, 73, has denied that he would resign before the end…

NASA Overhauls Artemis Moon Program

February 27, 2026 at 10:37 am EST

“New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a major overhaul of the agency’s Artemis moon program Friday, acknowledging that the agency’s plan to land astronauts on the moon in 2028 was…

Agencies Raise Alarms About Elon Musk’s Grok Chatbot

February 27, 2026 at 10:30 am EST

“Officials at multiple federal agencies have raised concerns about the safety and reliability of Elon Musk’s xAI artificial-intelligence tools in recent months, highlighting continuing disagreements within the U.S. government about…

OpenAI Sees Pentagon Deal Amid Anthropic Standoff

February 27, 2026 at 10:20 am ESTFebruary 27, 2026 at 10:34 am EST

“OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman waded into the standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon over the use of AI on the battlefield, telling his staff Thursday evening that the company…

Elon Musk’s Secret Web of Companies in Texas

February 27, 2026 at 9:26 am EST

New York Times: “The megabillionaire was tied to about 90 companies in the state, which he uses for everything from paying nannies to buying land to supporting Donald Trump’s re-election,…

The Spectacular MAGA Breakup Rocking Georgia

February 27, 2026 at 9:24 am EST

Wall Street Journal: “Heading into midterms that will determine control of Congress, party leaders in Atlanta and Washington had hoped to build party loyalty and unity in Georgia, a red-leaning…

Senate Democrats Push for Tariff Refunds

February 27, 2026 at 9:22 am EST

Two dozen Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), are sending a letter today to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demanding that tariff refunds begin…

Biden Is Heartbroken About What Is Happening

February 27, 2026 at 8:37 am EST

CNN: “The 83-year-old Biden continues to feel out a post-presidency that may prove to be one of the shortest in history and is already one of the most complicated.” “There…

Republicans Boost Jasmine Crockett in Texas

February 27, 2026 at 8:34 am EST

Republicans are trying to bolster the chances of Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) in the state’s Democratic Senate primary, believing she would be easier to defeat in the midterms than Texas…

CNN Faces a Suddenly Uncertain Future

February 27, 2026 at 8:29 am EST

New York Times: “Netflix’s stunning surrender on Thursday in its effort to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery all but assures that the 24-hour news channel will soon be controlled by David…

Majority Say Healthcare Is Unaffordable

February 27, 2026 at 8:26 am EST

About two-thirds of Americans who don’t own their own home say they do not think they will be able to afford to buy a home in the foreseeable future, and…

« Cruz Pushes GOP Colleagues Into Rubio Camp
Bonus Quote of the Day »

Your Account

Sign in

Members Only

  • What’d I Miss?
  • The Only Unforgivable Sin Is Losing the Seat
  • When the Guests Become the Speech
  • My Reaction to the State of the Union
  • The Rise of Political Casinos

Trial Balloon

Add Trial Balloon to your podcast player to get new episodes each week.


About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2026 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC