FACT CHECK: John Bel Edwards Struggles To Defend His Liberal Record

During last night’s first gubernatorial debate, Louisianans watched as liberal Democrat John Bel Edwards attempted to explain away his failed record in office. Typical of politician who has a weak record to run on, Edwards engaged in misleading campaign spin while the Republicans on stage offered a stark contrast, promoting a pro-growth vision for moving Louisiana forward.

Below are the facts on Edwards’ record, one that is marked by a weak economy and massive tax increases:

CLAIM:  Edwards: “The idea we’ve done anything other than grow and strengthen the economy is just false.”

FACT: Despite a booming national economy, Louisiana has lagged behind the rest of the country.

• Under Governor Edwards, Louisiana’s economic performance is ranked among the worst in the nation:
  • WalletHub: 50^th  
  • CNBC:49^th  
  • Forbes: 49^th (Economic Climate)
  • U.S. News & World Report: 49^th 
  • 24/7 Wall St.: 47^th

CLAIM: Edwards: “The easiest decision I made as governor was to expand Medicaid.”

FACT: While Governor Edwards may call the decision to expand Medicaid the “easiest decision” he’s made, the expansion was rushed, and rampant waste, fraud, and abuse prompted a federal probe.

• The Advocate: “Louisiana Medicaid Audit Suggests Possible Wide-Spread Misspending, Prompts Federal Probe”
• Tens of thousands of individuals were receiving healthcare benefits they did not qualify for, and up to $85 million in taxpayer dollars may have been wasted by the Edwards administration.

CLAIM: Edwards: “I don’t agree that we should cut taxes until we know that we won’t go back into a structural budget deficit.”

FACT: Governor Edwards has proven that he is a serial taxer, who is not interested in cutting taxes – he pushed through the largest tax increase in Louisiana history.

• In his first year in office, Governor Edwards proposed 9 tax increases, including the enactment of a sales tax increase, the largest tax increase in state history.
• The Advocate: “Louisiana actually has the third highest state and local sales tax combined in the country.”

CLAIM: Edwards: “What we don’t want to do is go back to cutting higher education.”

FACT: Governor Edwards has proposed steep cuts to higher education and higher education scholarship programs.

• This year, Governor Edwards proposed “devastating cuts” to higher education.
• Governor Edwards has proposed steep cuts to the TOPS program every single year he has been in office.