Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is blaming former governor John Bel Edwards for the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to pull a permit for the stalled Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project, and Edwards is taking to the internet to refute those claims.
The Corps accused the state government of withholding information about the project, which Governor Landry penned in Edwards Administration. Edwards fired back online, saying that Landry (quote) "has his facts wrong."
Is this back-and-forth between Landry and Edwards a preview of a possible 2027 gubernatorial race?
"I think it's certainly possible," University of Louisiana at Monroe political science professor Pearson Cross said. "This, of course, could be, although I haven't heard much buzz about it, a way for him to work himself back to run for governor in 2027."
According to Cross, Edwards is positioning himself as the defender of both his administration and of Democrats.
"John (Bel) Edwards is stepping forward to be that spokesperson, particularly in this case which attacks his actions ostensibly taken during his term," Cross said. "He's protecting his own reputation."
Cross says Landry's response shows that he's not checked out from Louisiana politics. Still, Cross is hedging his bets that Edwards will actually jump into the governor's race. He says while Edwards is in the prime of his life, he expects him to read the political tea leaves--particularly, Landry's popularity numbers--before deciding if he'll run in 2027.
"Running as a Democrat, even as a well-regarded former governor in Louisiana, against a sitting Republican governor is a tough go, and he might not choose to do that," Cross said. "If (Landry's poll numbers) are bad, Edwards might be tempted to give it a swing, but if they're good, he probably wouldn't."
