In his first run for office, Republican Sid Edwards pulled off a surprise upset, defeating two-term Democratic incumbent Sharon Weston Broome to become mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish.
Winning 54% of the vote, Edwards — a high school football coach — is the first Republican candidate to be elected mayor-president since Bobby Ray Simpson in 2000.
Edwards took the podium to deafening cheers at his election night party at White Oak Plantation.
“I know a lot of people are in disbelief — none more than me,” he said. “I certainly got a lot of things to say. This is a movie. This is God anointed.”
Despite raising a fraction of the funds Broome's reelection campaign raised in the cycle, Edwards received a surge of financial support from the Louisiana Republican Party after finishing first with 34% in the Nov. 5 primary.
Broome tallied 31% in the first round, ahead of Democrat Ted James, who endorsed the mayor after he was eliminated. But the support from her previous opponent was not enough to win a third term in Saturday's runoff against Edwards.
Edwards' campaign manager Mason Batts attributed the upset to prioritizing grassroots efforts. Edwards didn't spend a lot of money on TV ads.
"I think our ground game made the difference. We knocked on over 25,000 doors," Batts said. "That's probably something no Republican candidate in this parish has ever done.”
This is the first election Broome has lost in her 32-year political career.
District 10 Metro Council member Carolyn Coleman aided Broome's campaign efforts this cycle and said turnout was a major focus of the campaign and is always a challenge for a runoff.
"What I did realize, as I was moving around the city helping with this campaign, is some people did not realize that there was a runoff. They thought that it was over," she said. "We've got to do a better job with educating people on the process."
Coleman said that historically, Broome campaigns have done well with turnout in areas of North Baton Rouge and her district in the western part of the parish.
This year's mayoral runoff saw fewer voters than the 2020 runoff that elected Broome to her second term; 105,895 voters in the parish cast their ballots Saturday, compared to 115,848 in 2020.
The long race effectively began in February, when James entered, challenging Broome, a political ally of his.
While the race featured a full field of seven candidates by the qualifying date in July, it still looked to most observers like a two-headed contest between James and Broome.
Toward the end of summer, Edwards appeared to gain ground as the leading Republican candidate among three GOP hopefuls. A late August poll showed the coach had gained ground on the two Democrat candidates, with Edwards tied at 23% behind Broome's leading 29%.
But Edwards would buck polling in the Nov. 5 primary when he led the field, eliminated James and headed to a runoff with the mayor.
On day one, Batts said, the focus will be on cleaning up the city.
Public safety was the cornerstone of Edwards' campaign. He pointed to his experience in the North Baton Rouge community as giving him a better understanding of the crime that disproportionately affects the area.
Edwards repeatedly said he plans to address the Baton Rouge Police Department's officer shortage and add 100 to the force.
With many residents seeing public safety as Baton Rouge's primary issue, the GOP candidate emphasized the "hopelessness" and "despair" crime brought to the city during Broome's tenure.
Edwards jumped out to an early lead Saturday evening — when early voting results were made public, he was 5% ahead — that grew as the night progressed and more precincts were counted. As gloom settled over Broome's election night gathering, the mood at Edwards' party grew jubilant.
The crowd began chanting his name: "Sid! Sid! Sid!"
Shortly before the race was over, Edwards said: "Baton Rouge, put your big boy pants on, because we're about to win."
After calling Edwards, Broome spoke to her supporters amid calls of "We love you, mayor."
“I pray, Sid, that you will lead with wisdom, humility and a heart for every citizen of Baton Rouge," Broome said as she conceded the election.
“I may no longer lead from the Mayor’s Office, but I promise you this: I will continue to lead from wherever I’m called,” Broome said to an ovation. “I will continue to serve this community.”