On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, reports confirmed that former Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards is actively considering a run for the U.S. Senate in 2026. According to KNOE News, Edwards has spoken with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the New York Times about the possibility of challenging Republican Senator Bill Cassidy. He reportedly told Schumer to “follow up in August,” indicating he’s seriously weighing the decision. Even that measured response has stirred speculation—and for good reason.
Edwards is a rare figure in Louisiana politics: a Democrat who has already won two statewide elections. And if Democrats are serious about competing in the Deep South, this is the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. John Bel Edwards has consistently defied the odds and has proven to be the real deal.
Statewide Democratic wins in Louisiana don’t come around often. But Edwards didn’t squeak by in a fluke. In 2015, he defeated Republican U.S. Senator David Vitter with 56% of the vote. Four years later, with Donald Trump personally campaigning for Eddie Rispone, Edwards held on in a runoff—becoming the first Democrat re-elected governor in Louisiana since 1975. That wasn’t an accident. It was a reflection of broad-based support built across party lines.
Part of that appeal isn’t just ideological. It’s rooted in character and connection. Edwards isn’t some distant technocrat. He’s from Amite, a small rural town in Tangipahoa Parish. His father and brother were sheriffs. He graduated from West Point, became an Army Ranger, and returned home to practice law. He hunts, fishes, and he talks like the people he represents; and when he speaks, there’s a plainspoken authenticity that resonates deeply in a state where voters still value character over charisma. That authenticity came through in moments big and small—like when David Vitter tried to smear him over a party bus and strip club visit during a debate, and Edwards shot back with a grin: “Not as interesting as your date night, Senator.” The line landed not just because it was sharp, but because it was true—and voters knew it. That’s something Bill Cassidy has never been able to match.
Cassidy, a physician and two-term senator, has struggled to connect. He’s always come across more like a policy wonk than a leader. And since his vote to convict Donald Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial, he’s been persona non grata within his own party. The Louisiana GOP formally censured him and Trump called him “one of the worst senators in the United States”. That leaves Cassidy in an uncomfortable political no man’s land, out of favor with his base, yet uninspiring to swing voters.
Edwards, by contrast, knows how to govern and get results. When he took office in 2016, Louisiana was in financial crisis. Former Governor Bobby Jindal had left a massive $2 billion budget hole, and the state’s finances were on the brink of collapse. Edwards worked with a Republican-controlled legislature to stabilize the budget, securing temporary tax increases, closing loopholes, and ultimately moving Louisiana back into the black without gutting education or health care.
He also made a deeply consequential decision early in his first term to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Despite Republican opposition, the move extended health care access to over 500,000 Louisianans, many of them low-income and rural. It was a lifeline in a state with high poverty and poor health outcomes—and it worked. The state’s uninsured rate plummeted from 22.7% to under 9%.
Edwards wasn’t afraid to take on Louisiana’s incarceration crisis either. Under his leadership, the state passed sweeping bipartisan criminal justice reforms in 2017, targeting nonviolent offenses and shortening sentences for those who could be safely supervised in the community. The prison population dropped by nearly a quarter, and the state saved over $150 million. He managed to do all of this with the support of sheriffs, prosecutors, and lawmakers from both parties—a rare feat in any red state.
And while Edwards is no environmental crusader, he didn’t ignore the existential threat of climate change. He supported the oil and gas industry, yes—but he also launched the first statewide climate task force, signed executive orders to reduce emissions, and pushed for coastal restoration funding in a state losing land faster than any other in the U.S.
The contrast with Cassidy is as much about tone as it is about record. Edwards has always known how to speak to working-class Louisianians—not by pandering, but by understanding. His charm isn’t performative; it’s part of who he is. People remember that he handled floods, hurricanes, and even COVID press briefings with calm and moral clarity. Cassidy, meanwhile, has never seemed comfortable in the spotlight or capable of reaching beyond his base.
If Edwards enters the race, he won’t need to turn Louisiana blue. He just needs to build the same winning coalition he’s built before by energizing Black voters, keeping the Democratic base unified, and peeling off moderate Republicans and independents, especially in rural areas. He’s done it twice, and he could do it again.
He can run as the governor who balanced the budget without wrecking the state. As the Army Ranger who brought honor and credibility to public service. He expanded health care access, backed law enforcement without embracing extremism, pushed for smart justice reforms, and steered Louisiana through economic turbulence with steady leadership.
He can also run as one of the few in politics who doesn’t need to fake it.
At a time when the country is fractured and cynical, Edwards offers something steady and decent. He listens, governs, and delivers. And unlike so many others, he never had to pretend to be someone else to win an election.
If Democrats are looking for a candidate who can flip a Senate seat in the South, they won’t find a better one. The door is open. The state is ready. And John Bel Edwards is the one to walk through it.
