1983 Louisiana gubernatorial election
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The 1983 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held to elect the Governor of Louisiana. Incumbent
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Governor
Dave Treen David Conner Treen Sr. (July 16, 1928 – October 29, 2009) was an American politician and attorney from Louisiana. A member of the Republican Party, Treen served as U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 1973 to ...
lost re-election to a second term, defeated by former Democratic Governor Edwin Edwards. Edwards became the first governor since
Earl Long Earl Kemp Long (August 26, 1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American politician and the 45th governor of Louisiana, serving three nonconsecutive terms. Long, known as "Uncle Earl", connected with voters through his folksy demeanor and c ...
to win non-consecutive terms. He also became the first to serve three full terms (later a fourth in 1991). Under Louisiana's
jungle primary A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of the political party. Partisan elections are, on the other hand, segregated by political party ...
system, all candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party, and voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation. A runoff would be held if no candidate received an absolute majority of the vote during the primary election. On October 12, 1983, Edwards and Treen took the two highest popular vote counts, but a runoff election was not held as Edwards won over 50% of the vote in the primary.


Background

In this election, the first round of voting was held on October 22, 1983. Since Edwards won more than 50% of the votes on the first round, no runoff was needed. The runoff for other statewide offices which required one was November 19, 1983. Treen became the first of three consecutive Louisiana governors to be denied re-election. Edwards himself was defeated by north Louisiana U.S. Representative
Buddy Roemer Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III (October 4, 1943 – May 17, 2021) was an American politician, investor, and banker who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992, and as a member of the United States House of Representatives f ...
in
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, refusing to contest the runoff after trailing Roemer in the primary. Edwards came back in
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, and along with former Ku Klux Klan leader
David Duke David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, far-right politician, convicted felon, and former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992, he was a membe ...
, combined to oust Roemer in the primary before Edwards routed Duke in the runoff to win a fourth gubernatorial term. This was the first time that any contestant for the governors election in Louisiana received at least one million votes. Edwards also won 62 out of 64 parishes against Treen. Treen only carried
Jefferson Parish Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
, where he resided at the time; and St. Tammany Parish, where he would eventually move following completion of his term.


Results


Videos

(1) Gubernatorial Debate on September 7, 198

(2) Gubernatorial Debate on September 14, 198

(3) Election Special from LPB on October 21, 1983, detailing in-depth report on the statewide primary election

(4) Edwin Edwards Campaign Commercial "Edwin Edwards....Now

(5) Profile of Edwin Edwards from WWL-TV New Orleans on October 22, 198

(6) Edwards Victory Speech after winning landslide re-election to third term on WWL-TV New Orleans on October 22, 198

(7) LPB Coverage on the Primary Recap from October 28, 198


References

Louisiana gubernatorial elections, 1983
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
October 1983 events in the United States {{Louisiana-election-stub