John Bel Edwards elected governor

NEW ORLEANS — State Rep. John Bel Edwards won Louisiana’s highest elected office Saturday night, defeating two-term U.S. Sen. David Vitter for governor in what would have been an unthinkable upset a few months ago.

"We must unite and work together regardless of party," Edwards said in his victory speech. "I did not create this breeze of hope that's rolling across our beautiful and blessed state...But I did catch it, and so did you. You've chosen hope over scorn. I'm governor of all of the people. I will never embarrass you."

Hundreds of supporters celebrated with the governor-elect, his wife Donna and their children at the Hotel Monteleone, cheering and relentlessly ringing yellow and blue bells, the colors of the campaign.

In the process, Edwards ended Vitter's political career. Vitter said he won't run for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Edwards defied conventional wisdom that a Democrat would be doomed in a ruby red Republican southern state, winning with 55 percent of the vote.

In fact, his victory comes on the heels of three-term former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s sound defeat in her re-election bid just last year. Landrieu had been the last Democrat elected to statewide office in Louisiana eight years ago.

Republicans own all other statewide offices and control the Senate and the House.

But Edwards, an attorney from Amite who served two terms in the state House without ever having even chaired a committee, shrewdly emphasized his conservative views on abortion and guns to soften what had become a toxic party tag in the state.

"My message is squarely in the mainstream of the political spectrum," Edwards insisted during the campaign.

He also leveraged his appointment to West Point, where he became an Army Ranger before returning to Louisiana to raise his family.

But Edwards also benefited from what evolved into the perfect political playing field for an upset.

He was the only serious Democrat in the race, which allowed him to consolidate party support that virtually guaranteed him a spot in the runoff election.

On the other side were three strong Republicans in a bare-knuckle family feud for the other spot — Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and Vitter.

Still, it was clear Edwards wanted and needed Vitter in the runoff.

Louisiana’s senior senator was damaged by his 2007 prostitution scandal, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plummeting popularity and a hostile relationship with his Republican competitors.

Dardenne crossed party lines to endorse Edwards, while Angelle was conspicuously absent from the public eye following the primary to avoid pressure to endorse his fellow Republican Vitter.

Though Vitter and Jindal have an equally icy relationship — both blamed each other for tarnishing the Republican brand in the state — Edwards insisted Vitter would represent a continuation of Jindal’s rule.

During the last two weeks of the campaign, Vitter’s campaign ads portrayed him in a more sympathetic light with one commercially featuring the senator showing contrition for his scandal and another from he and wife Wendy’s likeable son, Jack, speaking up for his dad.

But in the end, it wasn’t enough.

Edwards said he will go to work immediately building a transition team and meeting with lawmakers.

How they voted

With 97 percent of precincts reporting

*John Bel Edwards: 621,440

David Vitter: 497,914

*denotes winner

Follow Greg Hilburn on Twitter @GregHilburn1