{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://abraham.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/louisiana-baptist-ralph-abraham-announces-run-governor", "Louisiana Baptist Ralph Abraham announces run for governor", "2018-12-06", "2018", "2018-12", "Republican", "House", "LA", "Ralph Abraham", "A000374", "abraham.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Ralph Abraham, M.D., a Republican who represents the 5thCongressional District, announced Thursday, Dec. 6, he has entered the 2019 gubernatorial race.\nI'm running for governor, and I intend to win, Abraham said in a brief statement released on his personal Facebook page.\nAbraham, a member of Alto Baptist Church, was first elected to Congress in 2014. His district encompasses 24 parishes in the northeastern, central and southeastern areas of the state. He serves as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the Agriculture Committee and the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.\nThe three-term congressman joins Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone, also a Republican, in challenging the incumbent John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.\nAbraham is a physician, veterinarian, business owner, farmer, pilot and veteran. He was a first lieutenant with the 20th Special Forces Group Airborne Division of the Army National Guard from 1986-1989, according to his website.\nHe is a native of rural Richland Parish where he and his wife, Dianne, live. He holds degrees from Mangham High School and Louisiana State University.\nDuring his time in Congress, Abraham has been a consistent pro-life advocate, voting against funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. A member of the pro-life caucus, Abraham has spoken at various events around the state, such as the 2016 CENLA Pro-Life Prayer Breakfast at Louisiana College in Pineville and the 2018 Louisiana Life March CENLA in Alexandria-Pineville.\nTo read the full story, click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://abraham.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/louisiana-baptist-ralph-abraham-announces-run-governor"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4539770781993866, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}