Will Gov. John Bel Edwards punish uncooperative Republicans for thwarting his initiatives?

Gov. John Bel Edwards is facing the first of several key decisions centered on a single question: Should he try to gain more leverage over the Legislature by selectively punishing several of the lawmakers who thwarted his initiatives on the budget and taxes this year?

The governor will have the opportunity to strike at those he labels “obstructionists” when he decides this week whether to veto any projects in House Bill 2, which lists all of the infrastructure projects — roads, bridges, sidewalks, sewer systems and the like — scheduled to receive state construction dollars for the new budget year that begins on July 1.

Edwards will have further opportunities to take action against lawmakers in July, and also later in the year, when he decides which projects to forward to the State Bond Commission to approve the actual funding. He can withhold money for specific projects in HB2, which gives him enormous power since the projects allow Republicans and Democrats alike to win a reputation back home as doers in Baton Rouge. Doers generally win re-election.

With those political dynamics, governors and their senior advisers have traditionally used the threat of killing a hometown project to encourage uncooperative legislators to fall into line on key votes. In his first year, Edwards, a Democrat, used that weapon sparingly — to the dismay of some of his Democratic allies in the state House. The state’s budget problems, which left him with less money to spend on local construction projects, limited the governor’s ability to punish recalcitrant lawmakers.

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