Edward Lee Rispone (/rɪsˈpoʊni/ ris-POH-nee; born January 21, 1949) is an American businessman and politician from the state of Louisiana. He ran as a Republican Party candidate for Governor of Louisiana in the 2019 election, losing to incumbent Democrat John Bel Edwards.
Eddie Rispone | |
|---|---|
 Rispone in 2019 | |
| Born | Edward Lee Rispone January 21, 1949 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Education | Louisiana State University (BS) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | Phyllis Rispone
(m. 1970; died 2005)Linda Rispone (m. 2007) |
Early life and education
editRispone was raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His father worked as a compressor machinist at an oil refinery owned by Standard Oil, and his mother was a homemaker. He has five brothers and one sister.[1][2]
Rispone graduated from Redemptorist High School in Baton Rouge. In high school, he played football as a linebacker and offensive guard, and was named to the all-state team in his senior year.[3] He graduated from Louisiana State University, with a concentration in construction technology, in 1972.[1][2]
Career
editRispone began working in construction while he was still in school. In 1989, he and his brother Jerry founded ISC Constructors; in 2017 he said that the company had annual revenues of $350 million.[2] In 2000 he criticized a tax increase approved by a state house committee stating that "this has the potential to wipe out all of our profits" due to his business operating on a small profit.[4] In 2003 he was elected the national chairman of the Associated Builders and Contractors.[2] The Louisiana Federation for Children, which advocates for school vouchers, named Rispone as its chairman in 2011. Governor Bobby Jindal appointed him to chair the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council.[1]
In October 2018, Rispone declared his candidacy in the 2019 Louisiana gubernatorial election as a Republican.[5] On October 12, 2019, Rispone finished in second place in the all-candidate election with 27% of the vote, behind incumbent John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, who received 47%, and ahead of Republican congressman Ralph Abraham, who received 24%. Rispone and Edwards advanced to the November 16 runoff election.[6] Edwards defeated Rispone in the runoff election.[7]
Personal life
editRispone and his first wife, Phyllis, were married for 35 years. She died in 2005 of cancer.[2] Rispone married his second wife, Linda, in 2007. He and Linda have seven children and 24 grandchildren as of September 2019.[1]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Bel Edwards (incumbent) | 625,970 | 46.6 | |
| Republican | Eddie Rispone | 368,319 | 27.4 | |
| Republican | Ralph Abraham | 317,149 | 23.6 | |
| Democratic | Oscar Dantzler | 10,993 | 0.8 | |
| Republican | Patrick Landry | 10,966 | 0.8 | |
| Independent | Gary Landrieu | 10,084 | 0.7 | |
| Total votes | 1,343,481 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Bel Edwards (incumbent) | 774,469 | 51.34% | −4.77% | |
| Republican | Eddie Rispone | 734,128 | 48.66% | +4.77% | |
| Total votes | 1,508,597 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Eddie Rispone says Louisiana governor bid makes sense: 'I am ... going to turn it around' | Elections". theadvocate.com. September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e O'Donoghue, Julia (May 18, 2019). "From humble beginnings to enormous wealth, Eddie Rispone may be facing his biggest test yet | News". nola.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "27 Oct 1966, Page 46 - The Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Business tax gets initial OK". The Town Talk. May 18, 2000. p. 36. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Deslatte, Melinda (October 10, 2018). "Republican businessman to run for Louisiana governor, plans to start with $5M of his own | Elections". theadvocate.com. Associated Press. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ Ballard, Mark (October 12, 2019). "Gov. John Bel Edwards to meet Eddie Rispone in runoff for Louisiana governor's race". The Advocate. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Chamberlain, Samuel (November 16, 2019). "Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards projected to win second term, beating GOP's Rispone". Fox News.
- ^ "Unofficial Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Live Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 17, 2019.