THIS GREAT STATE HOME.
THE GOODNESS, THE DECENCY, THE GENEROSITY OF THE PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA INSPIRE ME.
JUST LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM.
THIS ROOM LOOKS LIKE THE GREAT STATE OF LOUISIANA.
AND THIS IS YOUR NIGHT EVEN MORE THAN IT IS MINE.
YOU DIDN’T JUST VOTE FOR ME, YOU VOTED FOR FOUR MORE YEARS OF PUTTING LOUISIANA FIRST.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ME SAY ONCE OR TWICE THAT GOD WILL ORDER OUR STEPS, BUT WE HAVE TO MOVE OUR FEET.
AND YOU MOVED YOUR FEET TO THE POLLS.
YOU PICKED UP PHONES AND HANDED OUT YARD SIGNS.
YOU GAVE YOUR NEIGHBORS A RIDE TO THE VOTING PRECINCT.
ALL OF YOU HAVE A REASON WHY THIS ELECTION WAS IMPORTANT TO YOU.
IT MAY NOT BE THE SAME REASON, BUT IT IS YOUR COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCES THAT MAKE UP THE STORY OF LOUISIANA.
BY THE WAY, YOU SHOWED A LOT OF GOOD SENSE, BECAUSE HE ALSO VOTED TO REELECT MY WIFE AS YOUR FIRST LADY.
SHE HAS BEEN THE LOVE OF MY LIFE SINCE I WAS IN THE SEVENTH GRADE.
SHE HAS BEEN WHY WIFE FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.
BUT OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, SHE HAS WON THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA.
SHE HAS WORKED TIRELESSLY ON BEHALF OF LOUISIANA CHILDREN.
I KNOW SHE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING THAT WORK.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK MY CHILDREN, BECAUSE THEY HAVE SACRIFICED A LOT OF TIME WITH THEIR POPPA.
I WILL TELL YOU, MY WIFE AND CHILDREN HAD TO ENDURE SILLINESS THAT SHOULD NEVER BE INFLICTED ON ANYBODY.
NO MATTER HOW BUSY THIS JOB GETS, WE ALWAYS FIND TIME TO BE TOGETHER.
WE HAVE SHARED SOME PRETTY SPECIAL MEMORIES OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, WHETHER IT IS GOING FISHING WITH JOHN MILLER, ALLIGATOR HUNTING, OR CELEBRATING SAMANTHA’S WEDDING.
WE DID THAT A FEW YEARS AGO AT THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK MY MOTHER AND MY BROTHERS AND SISTER.
I WANT TO THINK MY IN-LAWS, AS WELL.
I COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR A MORE SUPPORTIVE FAMILY.
THE REASON THEY BELIEVED IN ME IS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE LESSONS INSTILLED IN US BY PARENTS HAVE GUIDED MY STEPS AS GOVERNOR, ESPECIALLY OUR FAITH AND BELIEF IN SOCIAL JUSTICE.
I ALSO WANT TO TELL YOU I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH THE HARDEST WORKING, SMARTEST CAMPAIGN STAFF THERE HAS EVER BEEN.
I WANT TO THINK RICHARD CARBO.
AND ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO WORKED WITH ME.
I TELL THEM ON THE VERY FIRST DAY WE WILL NOT BE OUTWORKED, AND WE WERE NOT.
THEY POURED THEIR HEARTS INTO THIS CAMPAIGN BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT TURNING BACK ON OUR PROGRESS WAS QUITE SIMPLY NOT AN OPTION.
AND TO MY STAFF AND THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE, MY CHIEF OF STAFF, ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED WITH ME, ALL OF MY CABINET OFFICIALS, I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR HARD
WORK DURING OUR FIRST TERM.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD WORK.
WE FACED SOME MAJOR CHALLENGES THAT FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE, FROM THE BUDGET CRISIS TO HISTORIC FLOODING.
TOGETHER, WE PROVED THERE IS NO CHALLENGE WE CANNOT OVERCOME.
ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO SHARE OUR VISION FOR A BETTER LOUISIANA WAS LINDA DAY, WHO LED OUR FIRST CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR.
LINDA PASSED AWAY EARLIER THIS YEAR AFTER BATTLING CANCER.
BUT I KNOW SHE IS HERE IN SPIRIT TONIGHT, AND SHE IS PROUD OF THE CAMPAIGN WE RAN.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH EDDIE RISPONE EARLIER THIS EVENING.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW I THANK HIM FOR PUTTING HIMSELF OUT THERE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE.
IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ANYONE TO DO.
WE BOTH AGREED THE TIME FOR CAMPAIGNING IS OVER, AND NOW OUR SHARED LOVE FOR LOUISIANA IS ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PARTISAN DIFFERENCES THAT SOMETIMES DIVIDE US.
AS FOR THE PRESIDENT, GOD BLESS HIS HEART.
THIS ADMINISTRATION BEGAN WITH A BREEZE OF HOPE THAT BY WORKING TOGETHER AS LOUISIANANS FIRST AND FOREMOST, NOT REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS, WE CAN MAKE LOUISIANA THE STATE WE WANT IT TO BE.
WITH EVERY STEP FORWARD, WE TURNED THAT HOPE INTO ACTION, AND THAT’S WHAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO IN OUR SECOND TERM.
DURING THE CAMPAIGN, YOU HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THE PROGRESS WE MADE, BUT IN THE WORDS OF ERNEST GAINES, WHO WE LOST LAST WEEK, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SAID, BUT IT NEEDS SAYING AGAIN.
WE WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE THE LARGEST BUDGET DEFICIT IN THE HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
TODAY, LOUISIANA AND’S HAVE ACCESS TO LIFE-SAVING HEALTH CARE THEY DIDN’T HAVE BEFORE WE BECAME GOVERNOR.
TOPS IS FUNDED AND WE ARE INVESTING IN OUR UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES.
WE GAVE TEACHERS THEIR FIRST PAYRAISE RAISE IN A DECADE.
WE MADE A $20 MILLION DOWN PAYMENT ON MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR THE SECOND TERM, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
WE INVESTED MORE THAN 2.8 BILLION DOLLARS IN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR ROADS, BRIDGES, AND PORTS.
TODAY, WE CAN SAY OUR ECONOMY IS THE BIGEST IT HAS EVER BEEN.
PERSONAL INCOME IS THE HIGHEST IT HAS EVER BEEN.
UNEMPLOYMENT IS AT A 12 YEAR LOW.
WE HAVE ATTRACTED 100 75 MAJOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, RESULTING IN NEW CAPITAL INVESTMENT THAT EXCEEDS $41.5 BILLION IN RESULTING IN MORE THAN 36,000 JOBS CREATED.
THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO.
AS MUCH AS WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, YOU WILL AGREE THERE IS MUCH WORK TO BE DONE.
OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, WE WILL INCREASE WORKFORCE TRAINING, INVEST MORE IN EDUCATION, BEGINNING WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD.
WE WILL IMPROVE THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF LOUISIANANS AND ADVANCED MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR AN INCREASE IN MINIMUM WAGE.
SEVEN DOLLARS IS NOT A MEANINGFUL MINIMUM WAGE.
WE ARE ALSO GOING TO MAKE SURE WE PAY WOMENT A AND MEN THE SAME WHEN THEY HAVE THE SAME JOBS AND SAME QUALIFICATIONS.
WE CAN ACHIEVE ALL OF THIS AND MORE, BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF OUR STATE THAT WE CALL HOME.
IF THIS CAMPAIGN HAS TAUGHT US ANYTHING, IT IS THE PARTISAN FORCES IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO BREAK THROUGH THE BONDS THAT WE SHARE AS LOUISIANANS.
I HAVE CRISSCROSSED THIS STATE, AND NO MATTER WHERE I GO, THE CLASSROOMS, UNION HALLS, FESTIVALS, FOOTBALL FIELDS, I AM REMINDED THERE IS FAR MORE THAT UNITES US THAN DIVIDES US.
WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HOW UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL OUR STATE IS.
CASE IN POINT, WE TAILGATE AND VOTE ON THE SAME DAY.
WE HAVE UNIVERSITIES SCORE THREE BIG WINS IN MISSISSIPPI.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE ALL SCORED A BIG VICTORY IN LOUISIANA TODAY . IN LOUISIANA, WE MARCH TO THE BEAT OF OUR OWN SECOND LINE.
WE ARE RICH IN CULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES AND DIVERSITY.
IT IS WHAT MAKES OUR GREAT STATE.
TONIGHT, THE PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA HAVE CHOSEN TO CHART THEIR OWN PATH.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE HOPEFUL THAT LOUISIANA’S BEST DAYS ARE AHEAD, BECAUSE WE HAVE PROVEN WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN WE PUT PEOPLE OVER POLITICS.
I AM INCREDIBLY HUMBLED BY THE TRUST YOU PUT IN US.
I TOLD YOU FOUR YEARS AGO I WOULD NOT LET YOU DOWN.
FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, I PROMISE TO WORK JUST AS HARD FOR YOU.
FROM THE VERY BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU