When I first announced I was running for governor in 2015, few people thought I had a chance at winning. My opponent had never been beaten in a statewide race and had tons of money on his side, and none of the political pundits paid much attention to me.

None of that discouraged me for a second. I drove to every part of our state in my GMC Sierra to meet my fellow Louisianans and have earnest conversations about what mattered to them.

So many folks were nervous or dejected back then. The economy was in bad shape, and too many people couldn't find work. Many of our brothers and sisters lacked health care: Louisiana had one of the worst uninsured rates in the country. Our teachers and schools were also woefully underfunded.

I took to heart everything I heard on the campaign trail. After all, I grew up in Louisiana. I met and married my high school sweetheart and raised a family in our great state. I ran for governor because I wanted better for the state I love - that's why I pushed on even when the polls and pundits said I'd never win.

I proved them wrong and won, against all odds, by sticking to a simple promise: to put Louisiana first.

That's exactly what we've done. In our first term, we cut the unemployment rate to the lowest in ten years and secured health insurance for over 450,000 working Louisianans through Medicaid expansion. Just recently, we secured the first raise for public school teachers in a decade.

So for me, this reelection campaign isn't simply about winning again. It's about protecting the progress we've made - and about building upon it. And my promise for a second term remains the same: I will always put Louisiana, and its people, first.

I was able to pull off a surprise victory last time because folks like you supported this campaign. That support means everything to me, and it's especially important now in the final weeks of this runoff.

Our campaign has critical daily fundraising goals we have to meet. Reaching these goals means we can put the people and resources in place to win. Today's goal is to raise $15,000 by midnight. As of this morning, we've still got a long way to go. Please, friends, will you make a contribution of $5 or more right now so we can hit this goal, win reelection and keep moving Louisiana forward?

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Donna and I talk a lot about what a second term will mean for the state we love. We want to ensure Louisiana's economy grows even stronger, and that means tackling things like the gender pay gap to guarantee women equal pay. It also means raising the minimum wage, because $7.25 an hour doesn't cut it for hardworking Louisianans.

Those are some of my top priorities, and together we can achieve them all and propel this state forward. Will you give $5 - whatever you can spare - so we can win a second term and keep moving Louisiana forward?

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Serving as governor is a profound honor, and I can't thank you enough for being on this team and supporting me every step of the way.

Thank you,

Governor John Bel Edwards

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