Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne made his position clear.
“I am a Republican. I have been a Republican since the early 1970s. I will remain a Republican,” the former gubernatorial candidate said Thursday morning. “But I also am someone who believes in voting for the person, not the party. Never is this more appropriate than it is in this election, which is why Cathy and I today announce our support of John Bel Edwards.”
Standing in “Free Speech Alley” on the campus of LSU, Dardenne crossed party lines to endorse the Democrat, setting up the potential for this “red” state to alter its shading.
“Quite often endorsements are over-hyped. They don’t make a lot of difference in most races. This endorsement is a big deal,” observed Edwards, who had already garnered the support of the state’s two largest teachers’ unions and the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association. Republican David Vitter, his opponent, is endorsed by former Governor Mike Foster, as well as the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
Edwards said he’s humbled to have earned Dardenne’s trust.
“I’m very proud to have it. I’m honored to have it and quite frankly, I believe it will make a difference,” Edwards said.
Edwards, Dardenne, and Republican Scott Angelle developed a clear friendship over the course of the primary election, as the trio appeared at numerous forums, the majority of which were not attended by Vitter.
Dardenne said he won’t be actively campaigning for Edwards, “But I think it fair to my supporters, who were Republicans and Democrats and independents, to know what I was going to do when I went into the voting booth.”
The endorsement had some of the GOP faithful turning purple with indignation. Jointly, the state and national Republican Party immediately issued a statement, calling Dardenne’s endorsement of Edwards “betrayal”. LA GOP chairman Roger Villere’s statement called Dardenne “the Nick Saban of Louisiana politics,” accusing Dardenne of “using the Republican Party and its members for his benefit.”
Dardenne observed dispassionately that the LA GOP did nothing to stop Vitter from trashing fellow Republicans during the primary. Further, he said Edwards is not making this race about party as much as he’s making it about what’s best for the state.
“We had a lengthy discussion about policy and about how he was going to govern. And I think he’s got the best chance to bring this state together and tackle the enormous problems that we have, that do not have Republican solutions or Democrat solutions. They have Louisiana solutions.”