Eddie Rispone

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Eddie Rispone
Eddie Rispone in October, 2019.jpg
Rispone in 2019
Born
Edward Lee Rispone

(1949-01-21) January 21, 1949 (age 72)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationLouisiana State University (BS)
OccupationBusinessman
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Phyllis Rispone
​
​
(m. 1970; died 2005)​

Linda Rispone
​
(m. 2007)​

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.

Early life and education[]

Rispone 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[]

Rispone 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 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[]

Rispone 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[]

2019 Louisiana gubernatorial election runoff[8]
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[]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "27 Oct 1966, Page 46 - The Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Business tax gets initial OK". The Town Talk. May 18, 2000. p. 36. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Chamberlain, Samuel (November 16, 2019). "Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards projected to win second term, beating GOP's Rispone". Fox News.
  8. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Live Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 17, 2019.

External links[]

Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Louisiana
2019 		Most recent
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