This article will answer every question you have about John Bel Edwards. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.
- What does John Bel Edwards do for a living?
- Who are John Bel Edwards’s parents and siblings?
- What are John Bel Edwards’s interests and hobbies?
- Is John Bel Edwards married or does he have a girlfriend?
- Does John Bel Edwards have any children?
- Where is John Bel Edwards now?
- How tall is John Bel Edwards?
- How much money does John Bel Edwards earn?
- What is John Bel Edwards’s net worth?
N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.
Who is John Bel Edwards?
John Bel Edwards is a well-known American Attorney and a politician currently serving as the 56th governor of Louisiana. He is a member of the Democratic Party. In addition, prior to becoming governor, he served as the Democratic leader of the Louisiana House of Representatives for two terms.
He was elected for the first time as a Representative for Louisiana in 2007. He was facing the Republican nominee US Senator David Vitter and defeated him in the second round of the 2015 election for governor. Moreover, he vied again for the second time and won again in the 2019 election. John winning the election made him the first Democrat to win the election Louisiana since Edwin Edward in 1975.
Furthermore, John is a veteran of the United States Army, having served in the 82nd Airborne Division and rising to the rank of captain. He is Louisiana’s sole statewide elected Democratic official. Many political commentators see Edwards as a conservative Democrat.
Career
After completing law school he began practicing law at Edward & Associate Law Firm in Amite. Being a lawyer, he dealt with a variety of cases though, he never practiced criminal law, because his brother was a local sheriff.
Louisiana House of Representatives
In 2007, Edwards sought for a seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives and was forced to compete in a run-off election with fellow attorney George Tucker. However, despite being going for a run-off he was elected with a landslide, winning every parish in the district. In addition, Edward was the legislature’s only freshman legislator to chair a committee.
Furthermore, despite being a freshman he was appointed as chair of the Democratic House Caucus, a rare honor for a freshman politician. Moreover, Edwards became a critic of Governor Bobby Jindal. The main reason for his criticism was frequent visits abroad from Louisiana to gather political donations for Republicans abroad, while Louisiana was decreasing its support for higher education.
As a result, of his performance as a Representative, he was re-elected again in 2011. He defeated his competitor Johnny Duncan with 83% to 17%. Edwards became Louisiana House Minority Leader after serving as Chairman of the Louisiana House Democratic Caucus. Moreover, part of the cities and towns Edwards represented, included, Amite, Greensburg, and Kentwood, as well as a portion of Hammond,
How Old Is Jonh Bel Edwards?
He was born on 16th, September 1966, currently, he is aged 54 years old.
Jonh Bel Edwards Family
Who Are His Parents?
He was born in East Baton Rouge to Dora Jean and Frank M. Edward Jr. Moreover his father was a sheriff of Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff. His family was well established on political grounds in the parish.
Does He Have Siblings?
He has two siblings, Daniel H. Edwards and Frank Millard Edwards
Jonh Bel Edwards Education
He attended Amite High School, graduating in 1984 as valedictorian. In addition, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S Military Academy. While at the Academy, he was on the Dean list and served as vice-chair of the panel that enforced the West Point honor code. Furthermore, he finished his Airborne School in 198, at West Point. After earning his commission he completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning in 1988. After ending his military career, he joined Louisiana State University Paul M.Hebert Law Center in 1999.
Jonh Bel Edwards Spouse
He is married to Donna Edwards, an Industrial Management graduate from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Moreover, his wife has also trained as a teacher.
Jonh Bel Edwards Kids
Bel together with his wife has been blessed with two daughters and one son, Sarah and Samantha Edward and John Miller Edwards.
Gubernatorial campaign in 2015
John announced his interest in the 2015 gubernatorial seat election on February 21, 2013. In addition, he said that his state needed a healthy dose of common sense and compassion for ordinary people.
Furthermore, John was the only notable Democrat in the race, receiving 39.9% of the votes in the nonpartisan blanket primary. He was followed by Vitter, who received 23% of the votes. Lastly, Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle of Breaux Bridge finished third with 19.3%.
Moreover, Jay Dardenne, Baton Rouge outgoing lieutenant governor who was also in the race and finished fourth. He endorsed John, on November 5th, 2015 in the forthcoming competition against Vitte.
Despite winning the primary, the Republican Governors Association launched a campaign in Louisiana in favor of Vitter. The governors noted Edwards’ prior support for President Barack Obama, who lost Louisiana’s electoral votes twice. In addition, at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Edwards served as a delegate supporting Obama. In the 2016 presidential election, Edwards backed Hillary Clinton.
Moreover, before the primary election, a state poll showed John was leading with 9 points against Vitter. Furthermore, the JMC Analytics survey positioned John at 28%, and Vitter with 19% instead of his actual 23%. After the primary polls showed John was leading.
In addition, Verne Kennedy of Market Research Insight placed John ahead with 54% to 38% or 51% to 40%, depending on the percentage of turnout among African-American voters, 25 or 20&. However, Edwards won the race with 56.1% of the vote in the runoff on November 21, 2015.
Governor of Louisiana
During his inauguration day, he was not able to convince the majority-Republican Louisiana House to choose a Democrat, Walter Leger III of New Orleans, as the speaker. This was after a Republican Cameron Henry, a friend of Senator David Vitter, pulled out from consideration. As a result, another Republican by the name of Taylor Barras of New Iberia was named as the speaker.
Governors have traditionally appointed state house speakers since Huey Long. However, Barras’ nomination came as a surprise because he had not been acknowledged as a contender until the voting began.
John Edwards as Louisiana governor issued an executive order to safeguard the gay community, bisexual, and transgender persons from harassment and employment termination. However, the decree forbids governmental entities from discriminating against individuals based on their gender identification or sexual orientation.
Furthermore, he also revoked another executive order made by his predecessor, Bobby Jindal, in 2015. This order shielded companies and charitable groups who reject same-sex marriage from legal repercussions for acting on their beliefs.
In addition, he approved Medicaid expansion in 2016. By the next year, the number of Louisiana residents without health insurance had been cut in half (11.4% ) Edwards ran on a program to lower Louisiana’s jail population.
Edwards did not sign a single commutation between the end of 2016 and July 2018. Despite the fact that the state’s Board of Pardons selected at least 70 cases for him. Edwards signed legislation that reduced jail terms for nonviolent, non-sex-crime convicts who demonstrated good behavior while inside.
Jonh Bel Edwards Height
His height, weight, and body measurement are not available at the moment but they will be updating it as soon as possible.
Jonh Bel Edwards Net Worth
His net worth is estimated to be around $5million.