Photo source: blog.advocate.com
You can find a detailed assessment of the candidates and their stances regarding several issues important to the average Louisiana voter here. Among the highlights of the comparison, the following stand out regarding Vitter and Bel Edwards:
Sen. David Vitter:
- Supports Industry Incentives: Supports the oil and gas industry and understands the needs for a competitive and stable tax structure and incentives in order to attract investment to Louisiana. He is open to the idea of bringing back the inactive well incentive.
- Against Abusive Lawsuits: Supports the industry’s efforts to bring common sense solutions to end abusive lawsuits that have cost the state tens of thousands of jobs and millions in incentives and have resulted in little to no environmental remediation.
- Opposed Levee Board Lawsuit: Supported industry efforts to oppose and end the $10 billion lawsuit against 99 oil and gas companies that was filed by a renegade levee board.
- Supports the Office of Conservation: Supports the Office of Conservation as the primary regulatory authority to issue oil and gas permits. He continually supports the efforts of Helis in St. Tammany Parish against small pocket groups of environmentalists that want to ban drilling in their parish.
- Fought the Obama Agenda: He led the fight against amnesty for illegals, funding for Planned Parenthood, higher taxes, and spending.
- Strongly opposed to Obamacare: Vitter passed legislation to force Obama and Congress to participate themselves in Obamacare. He also refused lucrative taxpayer funded subsidy for himself.
- Strong Pro-Second Amendment Advocate: The only candidate rated A+ by the NRA and endorsed by Gun Owners of America.
Rep. John Bel Edwards:
- Opposes Incentives: Wants to repeal the horizontal investment incentive that will discourage investment in the most active areas of the state like the Haynesville Shale, the Cotton Valley and ultimately the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale.
- Opposes Solutions to Lawsuits: Has opposed every effort by the industry to bring resolution to the Legacy Lawsuit issue through the legislative process.
- Opposed Any Legislative Effort to End Suit: Opposed every legislative effort brought by industry to bring an end to the abusive lawsuit brought by the Levee Board.
- Supports Efforts of Local Government to Sue: Supports the efforts of local government to sue the Office of Conservation and numerous oil and gas companies in order to block drilling in their parish, granting control to local government over the oil and gas industry.
- Edwards is All-in for Obama: Voted for Obama twice; personally nominated Obama again in 2012 at the Democratic National Convention.
- Strongly Supports Obamacare: Edwards voted multiple times in support of key Obamacare provisions.
- Weak on the Second Amendment: Edwards voted numerous times in support of government restrictions on gun rights.
