John Bel Edwards is an American politician and attorney serving as the 56th governor of Louisiana. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Democratic leader of the Louisiana House of Representatives for two terms.
Edwards was first elected to the Louisiana House in 2007. He defeated Republican U.S. Senator David Vitter in the second round of the 2015 election for governor. Edwards won a second term in 2019, becoming the first Democrat to win reelection as Governor of Louisiana since Edwin Edwards in 1975. He is a United States Army veteran, having served with the 82nd Airborne Division, reaching the rank of captain. He is the only statewide elected Democratic official in Louisiana. Edwards is considered by many political observers to be a conservative Democrat.