“Hi, I’m John Bel Edwards, and yes, the ‘Bel’ is so that you don’t think I’m that other slimy John Edwards.”
His daddy was a crony of Edwin Edwards and at least one news article claims Edwin says they are “distantly related”. Obviously John Bel wants to run away from this association since his people are saying “no relation” more than Babs and Buster Bunny (you won’t get the reference unless you grew up in the 90’s).