Edwin Edwards
Edwin Edwards was a 2014 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 6th Congressional District of Louisiana.[1][2][3][4] Edwards received enough votes on the November 4, 2014 general election to participate in a runoff against Garret Graves (R). He was defeated by Graves in the December 6, 2014 runoff.[5]
Edwards was the longest serving governor in the history of Louisiana. He also ranked 6th in the list of longest serving governors in American history. His tenure was more than twice that of any other individual who was elected Louisiana Governor.[6]
Edwards passed away on July 12, 2021, from respiratory problems.[7]
Career
Edwards previously served four terms as Governor of Louisiana, from 1972 to 1980, 1984 to 1988 and 1992 to 1996. Prior to that, Edwards was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for seven years, from 1965 to 1972.[1]
Noteworthy events
Extortion conviction
Edwards was convicted in 2000 of extorting businesses that were applying for casino licenses.[1] Edwards went to prison in October 2002 on a 10-year sentence. He was released in January 2011 to serve the remainder of his sentence in home detention.[8]
Resignation of Campaign Manager
Shortly after he received enough votes to advance to the December 6, 2014 runoff, Edwards announced that his campaign manager had resigned. Ari Krupkin, who departed on November 6, helped managed Edwards' campaign to represent one of Louisiana's most conservative districts. Edwards declined to comment whether the departure was mutual because of a confidentiality agreement between the two. Edwards simply stated that: "He's gone on to better things."[9]
Attempts to contact Krupkin failed after the November 4 primary election. He did not return any media messages to his phone the day after the election and subsequently disconnected his number. Krupkin was notably young for a campaign manager, being only 27 years old. He was replaced by Harold Taylor, the former mayor of Palmetto. Taylor was described as a personal friend by Edwards.[9]
Elections
2014
December 6, 2014 runoff election
Edwards was defeated by Garret Graves in the runoff election on December 6, 2014. Both candidates placed as the top vote receivers in the primary election on November 4, 2014.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Garret Graves |
62.4% | 139,209 | |
| Democratic | Edwin Edwards | 37.6% | 83,781 | |
| Total Votes | 222,990 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State | ||||
November 4, 2014 general election
Edwards ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Louisiana's 6th District.[1] He secured enough votes to participate in a general election against Garret Graves.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Bell | 2.0% | 5,182 | |
| Republican | Dan Claitor | 10.26% | 26,524 | |
| Republican | Norm Clark | 0.71% | 1,848 | |
| Republican | Paul Dietzel | 13.55% | 35,024 | |
| Republican | Garret Graves |
27.36% | 70,715 | |
| Republican | Craig McCulloch | 2.25% | 5,815 | |
| Republican | Trey Thomas | 0.56% | 1,447 | |
| Republican | Lenar Whitney | 7.41% | 19,151 | |
| Democratic | Edwin Edwards |
30.12% | 77,866 | |
| Democratic | Richard Lieberman | 2.83% | 7,309 | |
| Democratic | Peter Williams | 1.56% | 4,037 | |
| Libertarian | Rufus Holt Craig Jr. | 1.38% | 3,561 | |
| Total Votes | 258,479 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign contributions
2014
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Edwards' reports.[10]
| Edwin Edwards (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[11] | April 15, 2014 | $0 | $33,171 | $(5,789) | $27,381 | ||||
| July Quarterly | July 15, 2014 | $27,381 | $177,305 | $(63,344) | $141,342 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $210,476 | $(69,133) | ||||||||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Edwin + Edwards + Louisiana + Congress"
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Louisiana's 6th Congressional District elections, 2014
- Louisiana's 6th Congressional District
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Politico, "Ex-gov announces bid for Congress," accessed March 17, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "Report: Edwin Edwards Mulls Congressional Bid," accessed January 2, 2013
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Ex-Con Ex-Governor Running for Congress," accessed February 20, 2014
- ↑ NOLA.com, "Bloomberg report confirming Edwin Edwards run for Congress not true, wife Trina says," accessed February 20, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "House Elections Results," accessed November 28, 2014
- ↑ Smart Politics, "Longest Serving Governors," accessed December 6, 2014
- ↑ Casper Star Tribune, "Ex-Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards dies; knew power and prison," July 12, 2021
- ↑ Washington Post, " Former La. governor Edwards out of prison," accessed March 17, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Times Picayune, "Edwin Edwards shakes up campaign, replaces 27-year-old campaign manager," November 7, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Edwin Edwards 2014 Summary reports," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
