Governor Edwards Talks Debate, Economy, Jobs and Last Days of the Campaign [VIDEO]
Governor John Bel Edwards talks to 101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty about Wednesday night's (somewhat contentious) debate with GOP challenger Eddie Rispone, the state's economy and job situation and the closing days of this year's gubernatorial campaign.
The incumbent Democrat - despite numbers showing Louisiana is the only state in the US losing jobs - says the state's economy is strong and that his programs turned around a multi-billion dollar deficit to a $500 million surplus. "We've worked extremely hard," says Edwards, "To bring economic development and opportunity to everyone around the state...we're investing in infrastructure, we're investing in education to create a more resilient (economy).
The Governor also addressed claims that state businesses are over-regulated and that he hasn't done enough to reduce Louisiana's sky-high insurance rates. "What we ought to do, quite frankly, is to make sure that we're better regulating insurers. They shouldn't be able to charge blue collar workers or widows or poor people more in insurance premiums when they have a superior driving record than they're charging other folks and we can do that through regulation."