Article snippet: BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ quest for a second term as the Deep South’s only Democratic governor will stretch over another month, as voters in his crimson state denied him a primary win Saturday and sent him to a runoff election. The Democratic incumbent was unable to top 50% of the vote in the six-candidate field, raising questions about his reelection chances against a national Republican offensive that includes President Donald Trump. Trump made a last-minute appeal to Louisiana’s voters to reject Edwards. Edwards will compete in the Nov. 16 runoff against one of two Republican contenders: U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham or businessman Eddie Rispone, who were vying for second place. Three Republican statewide elected officials on the ballot won reelection to new four-year terms: Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, Attorney General Jeff Landry and Treasurer John Schroder. Three other GOP incumbents also were seeking to hold on to their jobs, and voters were deciding four proposed constitutional changes. Republicans sought to prove that Edwards’ longshot victory in 2015 was a fluke, aided by a flawed GOP opponent, David Vitter, who was hobbled by a prostitution scandal and attacks on his moral character from fellow Republicans in the primary. Democrats want an Edwards reelection win to show they can compete even in a ruby red state that Trump won by 20 points. But the 53-year-old Edwards isn’t exactly a Democrat in the national mold. The West Point gradua... Link to the full article to read more