Rivalry Between Governor and AG Heats Back Up

Normally when you think of rivalries and Louisiana, the first things that come to mind are LSU v Alabama and/or the Saints v Falcons. But, we may have a new battle to add to that list: Governor John Bel Edwards v Attorney General Jeff Landry. Those take shots at each other every chance they get. And, if rumors are to be believed, this battle could have a lot on the line as Landry could potentially be Edwards' main challenger for the Governor's office next year.

This time, the Governor and AG are fighting over a lawsuit that Landry joined without consulting John Bel. The Texas based lawsuit aims to crater the Affordable Care Act, specifically the parts about those with pre-existing conditions. The Governor contends that the suit threatens health coverage for the roughly 849,000 Louisiana adults with pre-existing medical conditions and is not in the best interest of the state or those that live in it.

In fact, when questioned about the suit, Edwards told BRProud.com the following: "It would have been helpful if I could have gotten the heads-up. Unfortunately, that's not the way the attorney general chooses to work."

Conversely, the AG discussed the suit with CNN recently and told them the following:

"By engaging the marketplace — by ripping down the barriers state by state and allowing health care insurers to compete, by bringing more competition into the market — you're going to lower those particular premiums. I think that would be a debate we would have at the Capitol, and the Legislature would make that particular determination."

As you can see, the two have VERY different views on the subject. One could make the argument that no matter what side the Governor chose on the topic, Landry would have taken up the opposing side (and vise versa).

Just judging by the past few months, it would seem the 2019 Governor's race is going to be more like a donnybrook than a political race. Rumor and innuendo would suggest that either Landry or current Senator John Kennedy (or both, possibly) are going to challenge Edwards for the office. And these three men have been anything but shy about taking big shots at each other.