If campaign money and endorsements were all anyone needed, Louisiana wouldn’t have to hold a gubernatorial election on Oct. 14. Republican state Attorney General Jeff Landry would already be a winner. Fortunately, that isn’t the way it works. 

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards was first elected in 2015 and at this time in that campaign The Advocate said in a Wednesday news report that Edwards was then a little-known state representative who had only $1 million. 

The newspaper said in campaign finance filings due Monday that Landry had $9.1 million in cash. He has been endorsed by former President Trump and the Louisiana Republican Party.  He also uses a wealthy friend’s airplane and is backed by some of the state’s most prolific Republican donors. 

Republican state Treasurer John Schroder has $2.2 million; independent Hunter Lundy has $2.1 million, which is mostly his own money; and Republican Stephen Waguespack has $1.8 million. 

Democrat Shawn Wilson, the state’s former transportation secretary, had just under $600,000; GOP state Sen. Sharon Hewitt had $350,000; and Republican state Rep. Richard Nelson had $280,000. 

At this point in 2015 when Edwards had only $1 million, his Republican opponents were front-runner David Vitter with $5 million, Jay Dardenne with $1.8 million, and Scott Angelle with $1 million. 

If Wilson continues to be the only Democrat in the current race, he has a good chance of making the runoff against a Republican. The Advocate said Landry’s GOP challengers “are seeking to knock Landry down as the Oct. 14 primary nears in an effort to advance to a Nov. 18 runoff with Wilson.” 

I wrote about Nelson’s campaign program Wednesday, and he has explained well what he wants to do. It’s not a popular program, but it has some real meat in it. 

Waguespack also has a detailed plan about what he wants to do as governor, and he has professional experience that can help him get it done. He has served on the state Board of Education, was a senior official for five years during the Gov. Bobby Jindal administration and was CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry for 10 years. 

During an American Press interview, Waguespack said, “What I’ve learned over that life cycle is that what separates us is way less than what I think can unite us. 

“When I talk to businesses and families, it’s really the same issue — they want good schools, a trained workforce, a tax climate that doesn’t punish them and allows them to go out and start small businesses. 

“We all agree on 90% of stuff, but on politics everyone spends so much time arguing and fighting and yelling they can’t get to the stuff we agree upon.” 

Waguespack said something my mother told me a long time ago. I took her advice and it has paid more dividends in my lifetime than I could have ever imagined. Waguespack said the best path out of poverty is a good education that leads to a quality job with competitive wages. “We have to double down on early education, mentorship, career guidance and reading and writing,” he said. 

By looking at institutions like Sowela Technical Community College, Waguespack said everyone who takes a course there knows that what they’re learning today will lead to a decent paying job. Getting youngsters trained in places like that, he said, “We’ll stop losing kids to Texas and, quite frankly, we’ll stop losing kids to crime because they don’t know what else to do.” 

Louisiana needs to continue its oil and gas industry, he said, because the federal government doesn’t seem to like American energy very much and that’s a problem. 

Waguespack said his leadership style brings people together to the table. He said he’s a good listener and recognizes that on any given day someone might walk in with a better idea. 

If Louisiana doesn’t start solving some of its problems, Waguespack said it is going to lose another congressional seat. He said we have to start keeping our young families here. We have already lost two congressional seats in just a relatively short time. 

Many Louisiana voters wanted to see U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, enter the governor’s race, but he had other plans. And he has now become a major player in the U.S. House. When he said he was staying in Congress, he said Waguespack was a good friend of his who would be a good candidate. 

Landry is the front-runner at the moment, but political analysts agree it’s still early and voter interest is going to accelerate after candidates qualify Aug. 8-10. It’s still anybody’s game.