1924 Louisiana gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 September 2013 1924 Louisiana Democratic gubernatorial primary Louisiana presidential No 1920 Louisiana gubernatorial election 1920 1928 Louisiana gubernatorial election 1928 January 15, 1924 (first round)February 19, 1924 (runoff) 1912 First round Runoff Image:GovFuqua.jpg Henry L. Fuqua Democratic Party (United States) 81,38233.98% 125,88057.77% 3x4.svg Hewitt Bouanchaud Democratic Party (United States) 84,16235.14% 92,00642.23% Huey Long Governorship campaign poster (cropped).png 150x150px Huey P. Long Democratic Party (United States) 73,98530.89% Eliminated 280px First round parish results 280px Runoff parish results 2 Fuqua: #b4c7ec 40–50% #8da9e2 50–60% #678cd7 60–70% #4170cd 70–80% #3358a2 80–90% #244079 >90%Bouanchaud #b1d68d 40–50% #87be51 50–60% #63a61f 60–70% #478e00 70–80% #387100 80–90%Long #f1b4b2 40–50% #ed8783 50–60% #e55651 60–70% #d02923 70–80% Governor John M. Parker Democratic Party (United States) Henry L. Fuqua Democratic Party (United States) The 1924 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held in two rounds on January 15 and February 19, 1924. Like most Southern states between the Reconstruction Era and the Civil Rights Movement, Louisiana's Republican Party was virtually nonexistent in terms of electoral support. This meant that the two Democratic Party primaries held on these dates were the real contest over who would be governor. The 1924 election saw Henry L. Fuqua defeat Hewitt Bouanchaud to become Governor of Louisiana, and saw the beginning of the political rise of Huey P. Long Jr., who came in a surprisingly strong third. Democratic primary Candidates Hewitt Bouanchaud, Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana Henry Fuqua, general manager of the Louisiana State Penitentiary Huey Long, Winnfield attorney and Railroad Commissioner Henry L. Fuqua of Baton Rouge, the manager of Louisiana State Penitentiary, had the support of former governors Jared Y. Sanders and Ruffin G. Pleasant, and of the Regular Democratic Organization, a powerful New Orleans-based political machine. He also received funding from the oil industry. Hewitt Bouanchaud, a French-speaking lawyer from Pointe Coupee Parish, was the handpicked candidate of outgoing governor John M. Parker. Huey Long, an ambitious young Railroad Commissioner from Winnfield, had announced his intention to run for governor as early as 1922. Campaign The major emerging issue of the campaign was the Ku Klux Klan, which had surged in popularity across the state in the early 1920s. Long was reluctant to address the issue; his political support was strongest in Protestant north Louisiana, the heartland of the Klan. A strong condemnation of the Klan would alienate many of these supporters. Long ducked this issue, instead arguing that Standard Oil and corporate domination was the true threat to Louisiana. Long was not affiliated with the Klan, but his defensiveness cast doubts among some voters. Fuqua favored an antimasking law to combat the Klan, but did not take a strong stance on the issue. Bouanchaud, a Catholic, made a strong denunciation of the Klan his main campaign issue. Without the organized support enjoyed by his two opponents, Long built his campaign around printed circulars and frequent campaign stops in rural areas of the state. He campaigned for increased educational funding, road improvement, and the right of unions to organize. He condemned the concentration of wealth and the domination of large corporations over the state, arguing they needed to pay their fair share of taxes. Long's opponents called him a radical demagogue with "Bolshevistic tendencies." Results 1924 Democratic gubernatorial primary Democratic Party (US) Hewitt Bouanchaud 84,162 35.14% Democratic Party (US) Henry L. Fuqua 81,382 33.98% Democratic Party (US) Huey Long 73,985 30.89% 239,529 100.00% Bouanchaud ran strongest in rural southern Louisiana, where Catholic voters were attracted to his French background and his strong anti-Klan position. Fuqua's strongest vote came from the cities. The real surprise of the election was Long's unexpectedly strong showing; he won all but three parishes in northern and central Louisiana. Runoff results 1924 Democratic gubernatorial runoff Democratic Party (US) Henry L. Fuqua 125,880 57.77% Democratic Party (US) Hewitt Bouanchaud 92,006 42.23% 217,886 100.00% Even though Long refused to endorse either candidate, most of his supporters went to Fuqua in the runoff. General election Candidates Henry L. Fuqua, general manager of the Louisiana State Penitentiary (Democratic) James S. Millikin (Republican) Results 1924 Louisiana gubernatorial election Democratic Party (US) Henry L. Fuqua 66,203 97.90% 0.34 Republican Party (US) James S. Millikin 1,420 2.10% 0.34 67,623 100.00% Further reading Compilation of Primary Election Returns of the Democratic Party, State of Louisiana. 1924. Williams, T. Harry. Huey Long. Knopf, 1969. 1924 Gubernatorial Louisiana Category:January 1924 in the United States Category:February 1924 in the United States