What They’re Saying: Louisiana Republicans Fight Each Other Before First Debate Tonight 

As the first debate begins tonight, the Louisiana Republican Party is reeling from Eddie Rispone’s attack on his fellow Republican Rep. Ralph Abraham. It’s a recipe that divided the LA GOP in 2015, leading many to blame the infighting for Gov. Edwards’ victory. And now they’re at it again just in time for both men to hit the debate stage tonight.
Now that the cat’s out of the bag, how bad will the infighting get at tonight’s debate?
Here’s a roundup of the coverage:
“Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone is launching a TV attack ad against his fellow GOP contender, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, ending Republican Party leaders’ efforts to keep their two main candidates from a slugfest ahead of the Oct. 12 election.” -Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press
“Eddie Rispone has begun attacking his fellow Republican in Louisiana’s governor’s race, slamming Congressman Ralph Abraham in a new TV ad that represents the first major GOP intraparty fight in this year’s election.” -Sam Karlin, The Advocate
“Rispone’s ad hits Abraham hard […] Rispone must realize going negative on Abraham is a huge advantage for Edwards and very well could lead to the incumbent governor avoiding a runoff and winning outright next month.” Dan Fagan, The Advocate
“Eddie Rispone’s campaign appears to have not learned any of the lessons of 2015 […] A simple look at 2015 would indicate that Republican in-fighting only serves to make the Democrat look better and makes the Democratic Party look more unified.” -Joe Cunningham, The Hayride
“What is clear is that the chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party, Louis Gurvich of New Orleans, was not successful in his earnest pleas that the Republicans not attack each other.” -Lanny Keller, The Advocate
“Several state GOP insiders reported that Abraham campaign advisers burned up the phone lines Monday and Tuesday in an attempt to convince party officials to end their dual endorsement of both Rispone and Abraham in favor of just Abraham. But the party took no official announcement on Tuesday.” -Tyler Bridges, The Advocate
“Rispone is doing what he’s got to do. He knocked the piss out of Abraham.” -Roy Fletcher, veteran Republican media consultant in The Advocate
“Meanwhile, Edwards must be loving it. He’s been given an early Christmas present and that present represents another implosion among warring Republicans.” -Sam Hanna, Jr., Ouachita Citizen