Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) defeated his Trump-endorsed Republican challenger in the state’s gubernatorial runoff election held on Saturday.
Edwards won 51.3 percent of the vote a tight race against Eddie Rispone, whom President Donald Trump endorsed last week.
“Tonight, the people of Louisiana have chosen to chart their own path,” Edwards said during his victory speech on Saturday night, according to CNN. “You know, I have never been more hopeful that Louisiana’s best days are ahead, because we’ve proven what we can do when we put people over politics.”
The election results delivered another black eye Trump, who suffered an embarrassing hit in another ruby-red state when Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) lost to Democratic challenger Andy Beshear in early November, even after Trump had endorsed the Republican incumbent.
“You got to give me a big win, please, okay?” Trump pleaded during Rispone’s campaign rally last week in Bossier City, Louisiana.
It seems that Rispone will not contest the election results, unlike Bevin after his defeat.
Edwards told his supporters on Saturday night that he had spoken to Rispone and “we both agreed that the time for campaigning is over and now our shared love for Louisiana is always more important than the partisan differences that sometimes divide us.”
“And as for the President, God bless his heart,” the Democratic governor added.
