Fresh off a strong victory in the Louisiana governor’s race, Democrat John Bel Edwards began work Sunday on his plans for the transition into his new office and an upcoming term in which he’ll have to grapple with a hefty state financial crisis.

After a brutal, attack-heavy competition to win the office, Edwards will get little in the way of a honeymoon as he readies to follow term-limited Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal into office.

He’ll be expected to enter the governor’s mansion in mid-January with a road map for closing a looming $1 billion budget shortfall and correcting widespread financial woes, while working with a Republican-led Legislature that may not see eye-to-eye with his politics.

The governor-elect announced his transition leaders and his pick for chief of staff on the day after a decisive 12 percentage-point win over Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter. The one-time favorite for the job, Vitter saw his campaign collapse in an embarrassing rebuke when the race became a referendum on his character, including a 15 year-old prostitution scandal.

Helming the transition and chosen as the new administration’s chief of staff was Ben Nevers, a term-limited state senator from rural Washington Parish who ran a pro-Edwards PAC. A six-member transition team was named and will set up shop on the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge.

Edwards also announced the six co-chairs for his transition team. The list includes Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newel Normand, LSU Foundation Director Laura Leach, Sen. Sharon Weston Broome, Taylor Townsend and Richard Lipsey.

Edwards said he will call a February special legislative session after taking office Jan. 11 to deal with short-term budget gaps and to make long-term changes to Louisiana’s tax structure and budgeting approach.

To accomplish such sweeping adjustments, he’ll need to rally support from Republican state lawmakers who have majorities in both the House and Senate.

Rep. Rob Shadoin, R-Ruston, supported Edwards in the governor’s race and said he hopes his colleagues will give the Democrat a chance, rather than set up Washington-style roadblocks.

“I don’t plan on being a part of partisan politics,” Shadoin said. “Sometimes he and I are going to disagree on what the best ideas are, but I think his heart is in the right place.”

It remains unclear whether some GOP leaders will try to undermine the new governor.

“