Sen John Kennedy Says He Won’t Run For Louisiana Governor: The most prominent possible candidate to replace term-limited Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana, Republican U.S. Senator John Kennedy, has decided not to enter the race.
In an email to his supporters on Wednesday, Kennedy explained his decision to stay in the Senate and not run for governor. I feel I can do more good for my home state and the country if I go to the Senate. The possibility of Kennedy running to replace Edwards as the sole Democratic governor in the South loomed high.
Kennedy is one of the most visible and prominent members of the state Republican party due to his fundraising prowess (raising more than $36 million for his senate reelection campaign) and widespread name recognition (because of his folksy one-liners and frequent appearances on Fox News).
His withdrawal from the contest is expected to prompt a flurry of declarations from other possible contenders. Republican lieutenant governor Billy Nungesser and state treasurer John Schroder told media and supporters that they planned to run. Still, we’re waiting for Kennedy to make a statement before they can officially declare.
Representative Garret Graves of the United States House of Representatives, Senator Sharon Hewitt of Slidell, and Representative Richard Nelson of Mandeville are all Republicans who might run for office. Kennedy’s Republican Senate colleague, Bill Cassidy, also considered but ultimately opted not to run for governor.
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Just days after his landslide victory for a second Senate term in November, Kennedy hinted at a possible gubernatorial run by releasing a poll in which he was found to be the most popular of a hypothetical group of candidates and indicated that he was giving serious consideration to running.
Kennedy received 21% of the vote in a poll done for his campaign by Torchlight Strategies. Democrat Shawn Wilson, now the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development secretary but not running for office, came in second with 18.2%. Only Landry of the Republican candidates received more than 7% of the vote.
One major party candidate, Attorney General Jeff Landry, has announced his candidature. Landry appears to be the frontrunner in a crowded field of GOP contenders, with an early endorsement from the Republican Party of Louisiana, a solid fundraising drive, and Kennedy’s withdrawal from the race.
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Emma is a Master of Science candidate at the California Institute of Technology. Since approximately four years ago, she has been a freelance writer, producing content for newspapers, magazines, blogs, and the internet