Your frank guide to Louisiana governor elections
November 11, 2015
If you have been watching television at all over the past month or so, you have seen your fair share of campaign ads sponsoring (or smearing) the candidates for governor of Louisiana.
Since Tulane’s student body is well-known to be geographically diverse and not from Louisiana, the majority of students do not know enough about the candidates to cast an educated vote come election day on Nov. 21. This is a brief outline of what you need to know before casting your ballot.
The Louisiana gubernatorial election actually already took place on Oct. 24. Democrat John Bel Edwards and Republican David Vitter won the largest shares of votes during this election, but neither of them won an outright majority.
Louisiana is under the blanket primary system, meaning that all of the candidates for governor run against each other in the gubernatorial election and if no candidate wins an outright majority, then the top two candidates compete in a run-off election, which is the election that is coming up next Saturday.
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John Bel Edwards (D) Louisiana State Representative |
David Vitter (R) U.S. State Senator (Louisiana) |
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Budget Supports increases in spending on: -Higher education -K-12 education -Law enforcement/corrections Taxes Supports flatter tax code Supports increase in the minimum wage Supports lowering taxes to promote economic growth Crime and public safety Supports enforcing federal immigration laws with state/local police Education Does not support Common Core Environment Supports state funding for development of renewable energy Healthcare Supports Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) Top Priorities 1) Address structural budget problems through expanding healthcare and capping a portion of tax giveaways in Louisiana in order to stimulate the economy 2) Reinvest in higher education and end the double-digit tuition increases every year 3) Address the backlog of transportation and infrastructure projects. |
Budget Supports increases in spending on: -Education Supports decreases in spending on: -Medical research/public health -Transportation/infrastructure Taxes Decrease all family income taxes Decrease retiree income Eliminate capital gains taxes Decrease alcohol, cigarette, corporate taxes Eliminate inheritance taxes Crime and Public Safety Supports capital punishment Supports increasing border security to stop flow of illegal drugs into U.S. Education Supports allowing parents to use vouchers to send children to public or private schools Supports federal tax incentives to help families save for college Environment Supports increased development of traditional energy resources Encourages further development and use of alternative fuels Healthcare Believes healthcare is not a federal responsibility Top Priorities 1) Building jobs in Louisiana with tax cuts to encourage job growth 2) Make quality healthcare more affordable 3) Protect Social Security Trust fund from being spent on other programs. |
Elisabeth Todd is a freshman at Newcomb-Tulane College. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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