1979 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election

none February 2026 December 2025 ly 1979 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election 1912 Louisiana Presidential no 1975 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election 1975 1983 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election 1983 October 27, 1979 (first round)December 8, 1979 (runoff) First round Runoff 125px Robert Louis Freeman Sr. Democratic Party (United States) 546,83743.00% 679,03251.66% 125px Jim Donelon Democratic Party (United States) 328,90725.86% 635,46648.34% 125px Jesse Monroe Knowles Democratic Party (United States) 283,25622.27% Eliminated Lieutenant Governor Jimmy Fitzmorris Democratic Party (United States) Robert Louis Freeman Sr. Democratic Party (United States) The 1979 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on December 8, 1979, in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Louisiana. Democratic candidate and incumbent member of the Louisiana House of Representatives Robert Louis Freeman Sr. defeated fellow Democratic candidate Jim Donelon in the Runoff election. Background This was the first lieutenant gubernatorial election held after the adoption of the Louisiana primary in 1978.Wayne Stephen 2008 Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process Fifth Edition Rowman & Littlefield Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system called the jungle primary or the nonpartisan blanket primary. Candidates of any and all parties are listed on one ballot; voters need not limit themselves to the candidates of one party. Unless one candidate takes more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a run-off election is then held between the top two candidates, who may in fact be members of the same party. Texas uses this same format for its special elections. In this election, the first round of voting was held on October 27, 1979. The runoff was held on December 8, 1979.December 12, 1979 New Count Gives G.O.P. Victory In Louisiana's Race for Governor https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/12/archives/new-count-gives-gop-victory-in-louisianas-race-for-governor-first.html 2025-07-08 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Primary election On election day, October 27, 1979, Democratic candidates Robert Louis Freeman Sr. and Jim Donelon received the most votes and thus advanced to a runoff election on December 8.https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=972269 LA Lt. Governor - Initial Election ourcampaigns.com February 19, 2022 2025-07-08 Results Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial primary election, 1979 Democratic Party (United States) Robert Louis Freeman Sr. 546,837 43.00 Democratic Party (United States) Jim Donelon 328,907 25.86 Democratic Party (United States) Jesse Monroe Knowles 283,256 22.27 Republican Party (United States) R. C. Kiger II 46,847 3.68 Democratic Party (United States) William Bowen 35,964 2.83 Democratic Party (United States) Clyde Vidrine 20,444 1.61 Democratic Party (United States) Lawrence Heaslip 9,581 0.75 1,271,836 100.00 Runoff election On election day, December 8, 1979, Democratic candidate Robert Louis Freeman Sr. defeated fellow Democratic candidate Jim Donelon by a margin of 43,566 votes, thereby retaining Democratic control over the office of lieutenant governor. Freeman was sworn in as the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana on March 10, 1980.https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=972297 LA Lt. Governor - Runoff ourcampaigns.com February 19, 2022 2025-07-08 Results Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial runoff election, 1979 Democratic Party (United States) Robert Louis Freeman Sr. 679,032 51.66 Democratic Party (United States) Jim Donelon 635,466 48.34 1,314,498 100.00 Democratic Party (United States) References Category:1979 Louisiana elections Category:1979 in Louisiana Category:Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial elections Category:October 1979 in the United States Category:December 1979 in the United States Category:1979 elections in the United States