LA: 1971 Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election Result

[Miles]

New Election: 1971 Louisiana Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election Results
   
   

[Miles]

This was the first time Edwin Edwards ran statewide - he was the Congressman for LA-07 before this. Johnston got the second runoff slot and almost beat Edwards.

In the general, Edawards won, but Dave Treen took 43% against him, which was the best showing a Republican had gotten up to that point.

After winning the governorship after 3 rounds, Edwards introduced the jungle primary when they re-wrote the state constitution in 1973.

[smoltchanov]

Thanks, Miles! The data i always wanted to see as this election was a sort of realigning in Louisiana, IMHO. First - "old guard" was crushed. It still could  put it's candidate into run-off (and then - who knows) it it had run one candidate instead of 4-5 (Davis, Schwegmann, Aycock, Speedy Long, and, may be - Bell), but - about 55% of primary vote went to nonsegregationist "new wave" candidates. And yes - it was first Governor electon, where Republicans seriously competed, in many years.

[Miles]

^ Seems like it would have, ironically, been a good year for Chep Morrison, if he'd lived. He'd have decent ideological, and geographic, overlap with Edwards. The past times he ran for Governor, he did well in the River Parishes, which went to Edwards here.

[politicallefty]

I assume this is during the time in Louisiana when the Democratic Primary was effectively for all intents and purposes the general election?

[smoltchanov]

^ Absolutely. So, Treen's 43% were not a success, but - HUGE success.... Imagine Democrats getting 43% in TX-13 or TX-19 ....

[smoltchanov]

^ Seems like it would have, ironically, been a good year for Chep Morrison, if he'd lived. He'd have decent ideological, and geographic, overlap with Edwards. The past times he ran for Governor, he did well in the River Parishes, which went to Edwards here.

Probably yes.

P.S. Miles, it would be even more useful if one could differentiate - which Long won which parish. I suppose - in most cases it was Gillis, but Speedy had it's own base, like La Salle...

[Miles]

^ When you hover over the parishes, it should now distinguish "G. W. Long" and "S. O. Long".

[Miles]

1979 D runoff for Lt. Gov.



My totals are a few hundred higher than the official count, ATM, as the scanned PDF I'm copying from is hard to make out in some areas.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

beautiful.  I like that there's a candidate named S.O. Long

[Miles]

^ Thought about doing just "S. Long" for the abbreviated name, but didn't think that was much better!

[Indy Texas]

Miles,

Why did Louisiana randomly go back to a traditional primary system for a couple of years in the 2000s and then return to the jungle primary system?

Who were the political factions for/against doing so?

[Miles]

^ The parties themselves never liked the jungle primary system.

People who had been used to the jungle primary there whole lives complained that the traditional system was confusing. Democratic primaries were open to independents, but the Republicans' weren't, though they kept talking about opening their's.

Jindal brought it back in 2011, against the input of officials from both parties, because he was heading into an election, and wanted to look independent.

Ironically though Edwards created it, it helped the Republicans long-term; voters could support Republican candidates without actually having to register with the party. Though, OTOH, it probably gave them David Duke in 1991 - considering he had appeal with a lot of blue collar Democrats, at least in the jungle primary, who otherwise wouldn't have been able to vote in a Republican primary.