Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards and his wife, Trina, arrive with their son, Eli, at a Baton Rouge news conference, where Edwards announced his comeback bid for Congress. (Sean Gardner / Getty Images / ) 
 
 He has served in prison, starred in a short-lived reality TV show and delivered enough quotable quips to fill a bookshelf in the public library. 
 
 Now, in his latest exhibition of life as political performance art, Edwin Edwards — former Louisiana governor, convicted racketeer, celebrated womanizer and, at age 86, new father — announced Monday he would be a candidate for Congress. 
 
 "I've given a great deal of thought to this ... and I acknowledge that there are good reasons why I should not run ... but there are better reasons why I should," Edwards told reporters in Baton Rouge, La. "I am positive I can run, and I am confident I can win." 
 
 When last seen on the national stage, Edwards was co-starring in "The Governor’s Wife," an A&E; series focused on his pen-pal-turned-bride No. 3, Trina Scott. Their son, Eli, was born in August, and Edwards, accompanied by his wife, arrived at Monday’s announcement pushing the boy in a stroller. 
 
 The former four-term Democratic governor served more than eight years in federal prison for fraud, racketeering and extortion in connection with the state's licensing of riverboat casinos. He left prison in 2011 and has steadily maintained his innocence — though he pointed out Monday that nothing in the Constitution prevents a convicted felon from being elected to Congress. 
 
 Part of a long line of populist, picaresque Louisiana governors, Edwards himself made a reference to his checkered past. "I haven't had this much attention since the trial," he told reporters in making his announcement. 
 
 He said improving accessibility to healthcare would be a centerpiece of his congressional campaign. He criticized the state’s Republican governor, Bobby Jindal, for refusing to accept expanded Medicaid coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act, more widely known as Obamacare. 
 
 Edwards served three terms as a congressman before running for governor in 1971. He served two terms in the statehouse in the 1970s and, after a four-year break, was again elected in 1983. During that term, he was acquitted of federal corruption charges but his image was badly tainted. Still, he managed a comeback for a fourth term in 1991, beating Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. The campaign’s indelible bumper sticker read: "Vote for the crook — it's important." 
 
 The congressional seat that Edwards is pursuing is being vacated by Republican Bill Cassidy, who is running for Senate against incumbent Democrat Mary L. Landrieu. The district is centered in Baton Rouge, the state capital, extending south into coastal Louisiana. It leans strongly toward the GOP and several Republicans have already announced their designs on the seat. 
 
 David Wasserman, who analyzes congressional races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, described Edward’s candidacy as "more of a side show than a legitimate threat, particularly after redistricting cut out all the African American neighborhoods in Baton Rouge. ... A Republican will eventually win this seat." 
 
 Even if it is a sideshow, Edwards’ campaign will presumably run longer than "The Governor’s Wife." The reality series was canceled last fall after just three episodes. 
 
 mark.barabak@latimes.com 
 
 Twitter: @markzbarabak ||||| Just three years after his release from federal prison, former Gov. Edwin Edwards is throwing his hat into the open race for Louisiana's 6th Congressional District. 
 
 The 86-year-old Silver Fox, known for his memorable, often shocking quotes and the nearly nine years spent behind bars on extortion, fraud and racketeering charges, made the announcement at a meeting of the Press Club of Baton Rouge on Monday (March 17). 
 
 "I acknowledge there are good reasons I should not run. But there are better reasons why I should," said the Democrat, who served an unprecedented four terms as governor. He also put to rest questions over whether his status as an ex-con would keep him from being a qualified Congressional candidate: "Once and for all I'm positive I can run and I'm confident I can win." 
 
 Edwards said the decision was not an easy one, but he ended up where he was "because I feel, I feel, that I can accomplish something if not immediately then in the long-run to help make my country a better country and properly address the needs of the 6th District." 
 
 It also wasn't the only race he grappled with entering, Edwards said Monday, making it clear he was at one point deciding whether to challenge U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, a fellow Democrat, for her seat. The 6th District seat will be vacant this year because U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, is challenging Landrieu. 
 
 "She's running her race and I'm running mine," said Edwards. Famously, there is no love lost between the two Democrats. But pundits agree the presence of each of their powerful campaign machines in Louisiana come November will be mutually beneficial for both. 
 
 
 
 "I'd like to run for governor, but there seems to be some question about whether I could," Edwards added. Louisiana law bars convicted felons from running for statewide office for 15 years, unless they receive a pardon. Edwards would be 101 by that time. 
 
 The Marksville native and arguably Louisiana's most famous Cajun told the assembled press and public Monday that he hopes to serve on the public works and agriculture committees in Congress to address oil and gas industry and infrastructure concerns pertinent to Louisiana. 
 
 On issues, he said he favors the approval of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline and would like to spur along a study to look at securing funds for high-speed rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He also said he's also been in touch with another famous Cajun -- Lt. Gen. Russel Honore -- to discuss his Green Army's environmental concerns regarding Baton Rouge's aquifer. 
 
 On the Affordable Care Act, Edwards said he would not have voted it if he had been in Congress at that time because "it is too fraught with pitfalls." 
 
 "(But) it is the law and we're going to have to deal with it at least until Obama is out of office," he added. Edwards did say, however, that he is in favor of the Medicaid expansion option available under the federal health care law known as Obamacare. 
 
 "I'm going to work in Congress in an effort to try to override the governor's decision," Edwards said, referring to Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal's staunch refusal to opt into the expansion, under which around 242,000 uninsured Louisianians would be covered. 
 
 
 
 <a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/7887466/">Will you vote for Edwin Edwards or support his campaign now that he's announced his run for Louisiana Congressional 6th District?</a> 
 
 At one point, a member of the audience asked how he would respond to opponents who say his run will engender negative national attention and be "an embarrassment" for the state. 
 
 "They said that last time I ran for governor, and I don't know, I hardly think it is an embarrassment to the state. It might be something the state should be proud of because forgiveness, understanding and second chances are important in life and in politics," said Edwards. 
 
 Edwards also discussed the more than eight years he spent in federal prison; as he has in the past, he denied wrongdoing during his years as governor: "(The trial) was not about Edwin Edwards the governor. It was about Edwin Edwards who was a friend of the people, who for reasons of their own testified falsely about our relationship after I was out of office." 
 
 The Monday announcement did not come as a surprise, as rumors of his purported run began swirling months earlier. 
 
 Edwards chances of winning in the heavily Republican district are slim, demographers and pollsters agree. But they don't deny he could make it into a runoff based solely on name recognition. The 6th District was redrawn in 2011, its odd horseshoe shape encompassing parts of southeast Louisiana from Baker, through East Baton Rouge and Ascension Parishes and down to the Houma-Thibodaux area. 
 
 The field is already bloated with more than 10 Republican candidates, including a state senator and a former coastal adviser to Jindal, having already officially announced their intentions to run, with more expected to jump on in coming months. Edwards filed his candidacy papers Friday, he said, and he's already chosen a treasurer but not a campaign manager. 
 
 Edwards' sixty year political career began in 1954, when he was elected to the Crowley City Council. He also served in the state Legislature and Congress. He has become a particularly divisive political figure in Louisiana, famous for his populist leanings and larger-than-life persona, infamous for being found guilty on 17 counts of bribery, extortion and fraud charges in 2000. 
 
 He spent more than eight years in federal prison, where he became acquainted by mail with Trina Scott, a registered Republican 50 years his junior. She and Edwards were married soon after his release in 2011, and the two starred in an ill-fated reality TV show last year. 
 
 Trina sat patiently with their 1-year-old son Eli during Edwards' speech Monday. The former governor said he and Trina made the decision he would definitely run about a week ago, adding, "no office in the world would attract me if it means separating from my child, my children and my wife." 
 
 Edwards has two other sons, Stephen and David, and two daughters, Victoria and Anna, from his two previous marriages. 
 
 While he spent the bulk of Monday's announcement discussing the issues he'd like to focus on during his campaign, it wasn't bereft of a showing of the characteristic Edwards wit. When asked how he would convince Republicans to vote for him, he said, "I'm going to let Trina talk to them." 
 
 One reporter cited a Louisiana Republican Party statement calling Edwards' run part-and-parcel of his "antics" to remain in the spotlight. "My antics?" Edwards asked, "You mean the things that got me elected so many times?" 
 
 "I haven't had this much attention since the trial," Edwards quipped when he took the podium. 
 
 But before he strode away, the inveterate politician in the Cajun Prince had came alive. Employing what some might say is a rather curious Latin turn-of-phrase (considering his checkered past) he asked for the support of those who love him and the reconsidering of those who don't. 
 
 "'Alea iacta est.' The die is cast. And I hope you will join with me in making this district a better district, because we have that potential." 
 
 
 
 . . . . . . Lauren McGaughy is a state politics reporter based in Baton Rouge. She can be reached at lmcgaughy@nola.com or on Twitter at @lmcgaughy. Find her latest stories on the Baton Rouge hub's Facebook page. ||||| Donald Trump and his running mate Mike Pence traveled to Baton Rouge on Friday to visit flood victims and relief crews and survey damage from the catastrophic flooding that has killed 13 people and displaced thousands across South Louisiana. 
 
 In a speech in Michigan Friday evening, Trump talked about his "tour of the suffering and devastation in Louisiana." 
 
 "We mourn for the lives lost, and we pledge our help, comfort and support to every last person in need. To the people of Louisiana: We are with you, and we will always be with you," he said. "In my visit, I saw not only the suffering of our people, but also their strength, courage and unbeatable spirit. Their spirit will overcome." 
 
 The GOP presidential nominee's campaign was largely mum on Trump's rather spontaneous visit -- with word only circulating late Thursday night and no formal acknowledgement. 
 
 President Barack Obama has faced criticism for not traveling to Louisiana since the flood to view the damage first-hand. He later announced that he will travel to Baton Rouge on Tuesday. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign has not announced plans to visit Louisiana. 
 
 In a post on Facebook, Clinton said she had been in touch with Edwards and she urged people to donate to flood relief efforts. But her campaign has not announced plans to travel to Louisiana. 
 
 "My heart breaks for Louisiana, and right now, the relief effort can't afford any distractions," she wrote. "The very best way this team can help is to make sure Louisianans have the resources they need. 
 
 "These are our friends, our family members, our community — and they’re counting on us to reach out with open arms right now," she added. 
 
 Trump was greeted by several Louisiana Republicans when his "Trump"-emblazoned private jet landed at the Baton Rouge Airport shortly after 9 a.m., including Congressmen Steve Scalise and Garret Graves, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and Attorney General Jeff Landry. 
 
 +2 Louisiana's Republican delegation casts votes at GOP Convention Louisiana status as the "sportsman's paradise" was touted during the roll call at the GOP Co… 
 
 Gov. John bel Edwards, a Democrat, said Thursday night that he had not been notified of Trump's plans to visit. 
 
 "Donald Trump hasn't called the governor to inform him of his visit. We welcome him to LA, but not for a photo-op," the governors office said in a statement. "Instead we hope he'll consider volunteering or making a sizable donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of this storm." 
 
 Edwards has also defended Obama's decision not to travel here yet, saying that it would be a drain on resources. 
 
 Trump traveled across flood-ravaged areas through East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension parishes, where piles of debris -- water-logged couches, mattresses, baby cribs, televisions and other items -- line the roadway. 
 
 Can't see video? Click here. 
 
 Outside Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, Trump supporters wearing T-shirts and hats with his name emblazoned on them, waited for his arrival and cheered as he walked around surveying flood relief efforts there. 
 
 "We knew you would be here for us," people in the crowd shouted, winning his attention. 
 
 Trump waved and then went into the crowd to sign autographs and shake hands. 
 
 "I came here to help," he said. 
 
 Jeff Nolan of Denham Springs said he lost his home in the flood. As Trump approached the crowd, Nolan had the real estate mogul sign the back of his shirt. 
 
 "The only thing I've got left is my truck," Nolan said. "But material things can be replaced." 
 
 Already a Trump supporter, Nolan said it meant "everything" to him that the presidential candidate was there to see the damage and relief efforts first-hand. 
 
 "Trump is the man," he said. "He's the real deal." 
 
 Nolan said he supports Trump because he's a straight shooter who isn't worried about being politically correct. 
 
 "America needs to wake up," he said. "And don't let the Hispanic votes take the election." 
 
 Rae Anne Antoone of Central said she lost everything in the flood. Her home took on four feet of water and she estimated that 85 percent of her family has been affected. 
 
 "When we heard Donald Trump was coming, no one could keep us away," Antoone said. 
 
 She said she hasn't watched TV in several days but she was confident that Trump would visit Louisiana if he knew about the damage here. She was among the group yelling for Trump to come over to the crowd, and she was proud that she got a chance to shake his hand. 
 
 +2 Hillary Clinton 'closely monitoring' flooding in Louisiana Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Tuesday said via social media that she's … 
 
 "I knew he would come," she said. "I feel like I know him, and now I feel like he knows me." 
 
 Her husband, Eric, got Trump's autograph on his hat. A small business owner, Eric Antoone said he wants to start a new business to help with the clean-up from the flood. He had hoped to speak to Trump directly about his plan and pitch a potential reality TV show based around it, but he didn't get a chance in the brief exchange. 
 
 "It's just so much more than they realize," he said. 
 
 Later in St. Amant, Trump thanked first responders and others at an emergency operations center in hard-hit Ascension Parish. 
 
 "Great job, great job fellas," Trump told national guardsmen, shaking hands in a brief stop. 
 
 James LeBlanc, chief of the St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department, said he lost everything in the flood. 
 
 "My heart is completely shattered, but my faith is strong," he said. "This is Day 8 and the St. Amant community still has 30 percent of its residents underwater." 
 
 He said visits by Trump and other high-profile officials "means more to people than anything." 
 
 "It means so much to the people living here that the word is out that we were heavily impacted." 
 
 Nungesser said he also appreciated the attention from Trump. 
 
 "This is a red state," Nungesser said. "He didn't need to come here to win the presidency. He came here because he cares. 
 
 "And I think that speaks volumes for the people of Louisiana, and you can see it in their eyes as we walk through the neighborhoods. It truly makes a difference that someone cares enough to come." 
 
 The fact that Trump planned to stop at this seemingly out-of-the-way strip mall in Ascension Parish was kept under wraps before the candidate's noon arrival. 
 
 Even amid ongoing emergencies and the visit by the GOP presidential nominee, LeBlanc and his lieutenants rolled out the red carpet for the lone reporter in the office that Trump visited, offering food, drinks and a work station, WiFi included. 
 
 Landry said Trump's visit benefits the state amid criticism that record flooding was sparking little interest in the national news media. 
 
 "Trump's presence here brings that media back into focus," he said. "I think it is huge, huge. I think it is great for Louisiana." 
 
 Appearing on CNN, former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, also praised Trump's trip. 
 
 "I want to thank Mr. Trump for coming to Louisiana," she said. "He brought attention to our state and we need that now." 
 
 Landrieu said she hopes that Clinton and Obama will make similar trips to Louisiana in the coming days. 
 
 "It's really a serious disaster," she said. "We need all the attention and help we can get." 
 
 Scalise, the House Majority Whip who represents Louisiana's 1st District, said he thought Trump's visit was helpful to the state and to flood victims. 
 
 "You can see how he really lifted the spirits of a lot of people who need that right now," Scalise said after Trump left. "One of the most important jobs of a president as it relates to national disasters is to show up and show people you care." 
 
 Scalise said he witnessed Trump serve as an "inspiration" for people who are struggling to recover. 
 
 "It shows that he really cares, and he's got our backs," Scalise said. "It was really uplifting for people to see him." 
 
 Trump spent about three hours touring flood damage and meeting with people who have been affected by the storms. 
 
 U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy and David Vitter did not join Trump. Representatives for each of them said they were busy with flood recovery efforts -- Cassidy volunteering in the Lafayette area and Vitter meeting with local and federal officials, and organizing a trip for the administrator of the Small Business Administration to come to Louisiana to see flood damage. 
 
 Both released statements saying they supported Trump's decision to visit Louisiana. 
 
 “Seeing the damage in person helps bring much-needed attention to the ongoing struggles of those displaced and impacted by the historic, disastrous flooding,” Vitter said. “Full recovery will take time which is why it’s important for the presidential candidates to be here and fully understand the massive devastation.” 
 
 Graves, who represents Louisiana's 6th District, said he was impressed by Pence. 
 
 "I was really impressed with the questions and interest that Gov. Pence had today," he said after meeting the duo at the airport. "You can tell he's really looking at it as a federal administration and what needs to be done going forward." 
 
 Graves, who has been in regular briefings on the flood, also praised Fugate and Johnson's willingness to see the flood effects for themselves. 
 
 "It's really good to have all of these high-profile folks coming here," Graves said. "This disaster is not getting the national attention that quite frankly it warrants."
– Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards has decided that neither age—nor his status as an ex-con—is a barrier to a run for Congress. The 86-year-old Democrat, who was released from federal prison in 2011 after serving eight years on fraud and racketeering charges, has entered the race for the state's 6th congressional district and says he's convinced he can win, the Times-Picayune reports. The four-term governor has always maintained his innocence on fraud charges connected to state licensing of riverboat casinos, the Los Angeles Times notes. "I acknowledge there are good reasons I should not run. But there are better reasons why I should," said Edwards, who starred in a reality TV show after getting out of prison. He says he'd really like to run for governor again, but because of his conviction, state law bans him from doing so until he's 101 years old. Analysts say that while Edwards certainly has name recognition on his side, he will struggle to make headway in the heavily Republican district centered on Baton Rouge. "This changes the race. It’s sure to stir up some notoriety ... but I don’t think he has a chance of winning," a political scientist tells the Baton Rouge Advocate.