AP Election Brief | What to expect in Louisiana's statewide primaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — The race to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards tops the list of contests Louisiana voters will decide this Saturday in one of only three gubernatorial elections scheduled for this year.

Fourteen candidates are competing to succeed Edwards under a unique primary system in which all candidates appear together on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation. If no candidate receives a majority in Saturday’s election, the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election on Nov. 18.

Republican hopefuls include state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, state Attorney General Jeff Landry, state Treasurer John Schroder, former business trade association CEO Stephen Waguespack, and three others. A Republican candidate, state Rep. Richard Nelson, withdrew from the race in September and endorsed Landry but will remain on the ballot per state election laws. Former state Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson is the only major Democratic candidate vying for the seat, while Lake Charles-based attorney Hunter Lundy is one of five independents.

Landry, who won an early endorsement from the state GOP last year and from former President Donald Trump in May, has enjoyed a sizable cash and fundraising advantage over the rest of the field throughout the race. He had $9.1 million in the bank in July and $6.7 million in September. By comparison, Schroder, the field’s other statewide officeholder, was the second-best-funded candidate but had only a quarter of Landry’s warchest in both instances.