1975 Louisiana gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 September 2013 1975 Louisiana gubernatorial election Louisiana presidential No 1972 Louisiana gubernatorial election 1972 1979 Louisiana gubernatorial election 1979 November 1, 1975 1912 File:Edwin Edwards.jpg 150x150px Edwin Edwards Democratic Party (United States) 750,107 62.35% 3x4.svg Robert G. Jones Democratic Party (United States) 292,220 24.29% 3x4.svg Wade O. Martin Jr. Democratic Party (United States) 146,368 12.17% 1975 Louisiana gubernatorial election results map by parish.svg 280px Parish resultsEdwards: #bdd3ff 30–40% #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90%Jones: #acf2f2 30–40% #7ddddd 40–50% Governor Edwin Edwards Democratic Party (United States) Edwin Edwards Democratic Party (United States) The 1975 Louisiana gubernatorial election resulted in the re-election of Edwin Edwards to his second term as governor of Louisiana.Edwards Re‐elected Governor By a Wide Margin in Louisiana https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/03/archives/edwards-reelected-governor-by-a-wide-margin-in-louisiana.html?searchResultPosition=1 September 19, 2025 New York Times November 3, 1975 Edwards characterized his victory as a “solid expression of support by the people of Louisiana for some expansive reform.” Edwards's re-election in 1975 to a second consecutive term marked the last time that a Democrat achieved that milestone until 2019, 44 years later, when John Bel Edwards (no relation) won re-election. Louisiana adopted the Louisiana primary system in 1978, making 1975 the last time the state elected a governor under its prior system.Wayne Stephen 2008 Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process Fifth Edition Rowman & Littlefield Background Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system. 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. In this election – the first gubernatorial election held under the state's new open primary law – the first round of voting was held on November 1, 1975. Although no runoff was needed, because of the way the new election law was written, an unopposed runoff was held on December 13. Edwards received 430,095 votes in it, according to figures recorded by the Louisiana Secretary of State's office. The Republicans did not field a candidate for the election. The law was later rewritten so that the unopposed runoff was not required if a candidate won an outright majority in the primary. This happened in the 1983 election, when Edwards won a third non-consecutive term over Republican incumbent David C. Treen. Candidates Edwin Edwards, incumbent Governor of Louisiana since 1972 Bob Jones, State Senator from Lake Charles and son of former Governor Sam H. Jones Ken Lewis, perennial candidate Wade O. Martin Jr., Louisiana Secretary of State since 1946 Cecilia M. Pizzo Addison Roswell Thompson, perennial candidate Results 1975 Louisiana gubernatorial election Edwin Edwards (incumbent) Democratic Party (US) 750,107 62.35% Bob Jones Democratic Party (US) 292,220 24.29% Wade O. Martin Jr. Democratic Party (US) 146,368 12.17% Ken Lewis Democratic Party (US) 5,307 0.44% Addison Roswell Thompson Democratic Party (US) 4,664 0.39% Cecilia M. Pizzo Democratic Party (US) 4,338 0.36% 1,203,004 100% References Sources State of Louisiana. Primary and General Election Returns, 1975. 1975 Louisiana Gubernatorial