No, Ben Nevers has not been elected Governor.

But he did raise a lot of money through a PAC he created. And when you do something that is especially helpful in getting the Governor elected, you  often get to be on the team. Nevers isn't necessarily our favorite person in Louisiana. (See here.)  But that's not going to have a whole lot to do with the job he's been given. Same goes for the rest of these people.

Edwards announced that outgoing state Sen. Ben Nevers will be his chief of staff and oversee the transition, and he named six transition co-chairs who represent different political constituencies that are important for Edwards.

They are: state Sen. Sharon Broome, D-Baton Rouge; Natchitoches attorney Taylor Townsend; Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand; Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo; businesswoman Laura Leach, of Lake Charles; and Richard Lipsey, a Baton Rouge businessman.

“He has a pretty diverse group,” said Rolfe McCollister Jr., founder and publisher of Louisiana Business, which publishes the Baton Rouge Business Report, and the chairman of Jindal’s 2007 transition.

On the other hand, it's never a good idea to come right out of the gate making Rolfe McCollister happy.  They'll have to fix that.  Also, nice job of trolling by Tyler Bridges here. 

Edwards said the transition team will work out of the 12th floor of Kirby Smith Hall, which is named after a Confederate general. Jindal used the same space eight years ago when he was governor-elect.

Before everyone freaks out again, please note that General Kirby-Smith will also not be acting as Governor.

Meanwhile, seeing has how two of your three Hunkerdowncast co-hosts officially endorsed Edwards during the final weeks (Varg here and Alli here), we're still waiting to receive our Official State Media designation.

Update: See also

The strongest signal yet of Edwards' commitment to Medicaid expansion is his appointment of state Sen. Ben Nevers to be his chief of staff. Nevers has been one of the foremost advocates of Medicaid expansion in the Legislature, at times offering tearful testimony as he pleaded with colleagues to expand the federal program to cover people who aren't paid enough to purchase their own insurance.

Asked about the significance of Medicaid expansion to the working poor, Nevers said, "it means life or death to many people across this state."

"There are over 242,000 people without medical insurance in this state who go to work everyday; who have been dependable employees," Nevers said. "It would mean the opportunity for them to have insurance for them and their families. I can tell you that there's many people across this state who've suffered tremendously because we've refused to expand Medicaid."

When asked what it means to him personally, Nevers said, "It means a tremendous amount to me.
 

Unpopular lame duck governor might have trouble twisting arms

The good news for him is he probably doesn't care all that much.  Anyway, he's probably not going to be able to make these business groups agree to pay their taxes.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's business-lobbying groups are calling a centerpiece of Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget proposal a multimillion-dollar tax hike on business, pitting the governor against powerful industry leaders in the upcoming legislative session.

The Republican governor wants to lessen spending on refundable tax credits, in which the state pays out more than the taxes a person or business owes. He proposes to use the savings to pay for public colleges and health care services in the fiscal year that begins July 1, as he looks for ways to close a $1.6 billion budget gap.

Business organizations object to the most expensive tax break targeted: the inventory tax credit, which refunds businesses for paying local property taxes on their inventory. Jindal wants to limit the credit to only cover a business' state tax liability, which the administration estimates would save the state as much as $377 million annually.

Maybe someone else can.

State Sen. Ben Nevers and Rep. Harold Ritchie, both Democrats from Bogalusa, have introduced similar bills calling for a new tax on the oil and natural gas industry. The purpose of the legislation is to direct more money to higher education and health care services -- which are facing drastic cuts next year.

"We wanted to make sure the topic was discussed on both sides of the Legislature," Nevers said.

Nevers and Ritchie's measures call for at least $300 million from the proposed oil and gas tax to be spent on higher education, $250 million to go to health care services, $80 million to go to prekindergarten or early childhood programs, $250 million to go to state employee retirement benefits and $150 million to go to transportation needs.

Although probably not.