President Donald Trump said he will be back in Louisiana before the November 16 run-off election to rally support for Republican candidate for governor Eddie Rispone, but it’s still unclear as to when, or where that will be.
Political science Professor Jeff Sadow at LSU says don’t expect the president to arrive any time soon. He thinks Mr. Trump will be in town sometime after the November 9 early voting period ends.
"(President Trump will be here) that last week, or probably somewhere near there to maximize the impact and not let the energy or enthusiasm dissipate," said Sadow.
The president’s last visit to the state was on October 11 , the eve of the primary, in Lake Charles.
Sadow says there won’t be early voting period visits from the president because the kinds of people who early vote don’t really need any more encouragement, and usually can’t be swayed.
"People who vote early have somewhat different characteristics from the rest of the electorate," Sadow explained. "They are going to vote anyway, and have probably already made up their mind, and did so long ago."
Vice President Mike Pence made a trip to Baton Rouge Monday, but it wasn’t a rally, it was a $5,000 a plate fundraiser for Rispone.
Sadow says assuming the president visits sometime between November 9 and November 16, Mr. Trump is likely to hold court in north Louisiana, "in an effort to ensure that those Abraham voters cross that divide and end up voting for Rispone."
President Trump has a 52 percent approval rating as of Monday’s JMC Analytics poll.