Washington (CNN) Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has been forced into a runoff election in his bid for reelection, where he will face Republican businessman Eddie Rispone, CNN projected Saturday.

Edwards was the top vote getter but will fall short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid the runoff. Rispone, one of two major Republicans in the race, garnered the second biggest amount of votes.

Edwards is the only statewide elected Democrat in Louisiana. Despite Louisiana's Republican lean, polling and other factors suggested Edwards had a decent shot of being reelected.

He faced off against opponents from both political parties in Saturday's gubernatorial primary, in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, ran against each other.

President Donald Trump on Friday went to Louisiana -- a state he won by 20 points in 2016 -- to boost two Republican candidates in the race. Both Republican candidates -- Rispone and Rep. Ralph Abraham -- joined Trump onstage during the rally. Trump didn't endorse one Republican over the other.

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