Gov. John Bel Edwards raised roughly $3.4 million for his re-election campaign in 2016, his first year in office, and will soon report the total to the state Ethics Administration, according to a spokesperson for the Edwards campaign.
No further information was made available for what the Edwards campaign spent last year or how much money it actually has socked away in the bank.
Annual campaign finance reports for major offices like governor are due to the Ethics Administration by Feb. 15.
Edwards’ first-year haul of about $3.4 million is comparable to the $3.5 million that former Gov. Bobby Jindal raised for his re-election campaign in 2008, which was the first year in Jindal’s two-term tenure.
Jindal was viewed as a rising national star in 2008 and he received a handful of $5,000 maximum contributions from political action committees and individuals based in Washington, D.C.
Supporters of Edwards’ re-election campaign insist the governor’s upcoming campaign finance report will show a great number of donors located in Louisiana.