This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Democrat John Bel Edwards will be Louisiana’s next governor. He received 56% of the votes in a hard-fought contest Saturday between Republican frontrunner Senator David Vitter.

Edwards, who currently served as State Representative for District 72, will succeed Gov. Bobby Jindal. Louisiana has not seen a Democratic governor since Kathleen Blanco left office in January 2008.

“I’m going to work hard for you, just as I’m going to work hard for those people who’ve been supporting me since the very first day,” Edwards told his supports. “I’m going to work with you and for you just the same. And by the way, that goes for Senator Vitter too.”

Edwards served in the Army from 1986 until 1996. When he left, he was serving as a company commander for the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He lives in Roseland with his wife and three children.

https://twitter.com/JMazurNOLA/status/668270453417312256

At Vitter’s watch party, he announced he will not seek re-election for U.S. Senator saying, he has reached his “personal term-limit.”

In the weeks leading up to the runoff election, Edwards picked up a couple unusual endorsements, one for current Lt. Governor Republican Jay Dardenne.

“[Dardenne] decided — like me — to put Louisiana first. Not self, not party, but Louisiana,” Edwards said.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand also took to the airways announcing his dislike for Vitter.

Throughout the month, both candidates attacked each other. Edwards brought up Vitter’s past personal problems with prostitutes and Vitter went hunting with “Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson.

Both candidates were quick to call for Louisiana to stop accepting Syrian refugees in the wake of ISIS’ deadly attacks in Paris.

For more election results click here.