The Real State Of The State: Louisiana Continues To Decline Under Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards

April 8, 2019

Today, Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards is slated to deliver his State of the State address, where he will most likely try to conceal his abysmal handling of the state’s economy while fabricating accomplishments in order to bolster his struggling re-election bid. Unfortunately for Edwards, the facts tell a different story. Here is the real state of Louisiana’s economy since Edwards took office:

  • In 2018, 24/7 Wall Street ranked Louisiana’s economy 48th in the nation, calling joblessness a “considerable problem.”
  • New Wallethub rankings put Louisiana dead last for return on taxpayer investment for services including public education, health care and public safety.
  • Louisiana personal income grew by only 3.8 percent in 2018, falling from 35th to 38th in the country since 2015 and well below the 4.5 percent national average.
  • In 2017, Louisiana posted the worst economic performance of any state in the country, with the state’s GDP shrinking by 0.2 percent.
  • According to the Department of Labor, Louisiana currently ranks 46th in the nation for unemployment.
  • For its 2019 rankings, The Tax Foundation placed Louisiana 44th in the nation for business tax climate, falling from 39th in 2016.
  • This year, Zippia determined that Louisiana is the worst state to find a job in the nation.
  • CNBC rated Louisiana as the 44th best state for business in its 2018 annual rankings.
  • The CATO institute gave Governor Edwards an “F” grade for fiscal responsibility in their 2018 annual report card for America’s governors.
  • 55,000 workers have reportedly left Louisiana since Edwards became governor, many going across the border to Texas.

“While John Bel Edwards attempts to peddle the fiction that Louisiana’s economy is on the right track, the numbers show that the State of the State is not strong,” said RGA Deputy Communications Director John Burke. “Edwards’ job-killing tax hikes have hurt Louisiana, forcing working families to foot the bill for his big-government agenda as businesses flee the state, taking much-needed jobs with them. Louisiana needs new leadership to repair the damage Edwards has done through his reckless tax-and-spend policies.”