1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election Louisiana presidential no 1987 Louisiana gubernatorial election 1987 October 19, 1991 (first round)November 16, 1991 (runoff) 1995 Louisiana gubernatorial election 1995 1912 First round Runoff File:Edwin Edwards (1986) (cropped).png 150x150px Edwin Edwards Democratic Party (United States) 523,09633.76% 1,057,03161.17% File:David Duke during.a news conference (1989).jpg David Duke Republican Party (United States) 491,34231.71% 671,00938.83% File:Buddy Roemer Congress.jpg Buddy Roemer Republican Party (United States) 410,69026.51% Eliminated File:Clyde C. Holloway.jpg Clyde C. Holloway Republican Party (United States) 82,6835.34% Eliminated 280px First round parish results 280px Runoff parish results 2 Edwards: #bdd3ff 30–40% #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #3933e5 80–90%Duke: #ffc8cd 30–40% #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% Roemer: #ffb380 3040% #ff9955 4050% Governor Buddy Roemer Republican Party (United States) Edwin Edwards Democratic Party (United States) The 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on October 19 and November 16, 1991. Republican incumbent Buddy Roemer ran for re-election to a second term, but he was eliminated in the first round, finishing behind Democratic former governor Edwin Edwards and Republican state representative David Duke. The election received national and international attention for Duke's prior tenure as leader of the Ku Klux Klan and other ties to white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. Background October 2026 Election procedure In 1991, Louisiana elections (except for U.S. presidential elections) were conducted under a variation of the open primary system called the "jungle primary," in which candidates of all parties were listed on one ballot. Unless one candidate received a majority in the first round, a run-off election would be held between the top two candidates, who may be members of the same party. In this election, the first round of voting was held on October 19, 1991, and the runoff was held on November 16. 1987 election 1987 Louisiana gubernatorial election U.S. representative Buddy Roemer was elected governor of Louisiana in 1987 as a member of the Democratic Party. He defeated Democratic incumbent Edwin Edwards. Roemer received a plurality of the vote over Edwards in the first round, and Edwards withdrew from the race prior to the run-off election. Roemer initially trailed the field in polling, but he ran a fiery anti-Edwards campaign on a populist reform platform and received strategic support from many Republicans and conservatives who considered him a stronger alternative to Edwards than Republican challenger Bob Livingston. David Duke 1990 campaign 1990 United States Senate election in Louisiana In the 1990 election for United States Senate, former Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader David Duke ran an unexpectedly strong campaign, despite repudiation by leaders of the national Republican Party, who endorsed Democratic incumbent J. Bennett Johnston. Leading Republicans repudiated Duke's candidacy, citing his history as a white supremacist, and Republican candidate Ben Bagert withdrew in favor of Johnston after polls showed that his candidacy would lead to a run-off, putting Duke on the November general election ballot and harming the national Republican campaign in the 1990 elections. On October 6, 1990, Bennett received a majority of the vote in the first round, avoiding a run-off with Duke. Primary election Candidates Jim Crowley (Democratic) Fred Dent (Democratic) David Duke, state representative and 1990 candidate for U.S. Senate (Republican) Edwin Edwards, former governor of Louisiana (Democratic) Clyde C. Holloway, U.S. representative from Forest Hill (Republican) Ronnie Johnson (Independent) Sam S. Jones (Democratic) Ed Karst (Independent) Cousin Ken Lewis (Democratic) Albert Powell (Democratic) Buddy Roemer, incumbent governor of Louisiana since 1988 (Republican) (switched from Democratic in March 1991) Anne Thompson (Republican) Withdrew Kathleen Blanco, member of the Louisiana Public Service CommissionBridges Tyler http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/blancos-bid/Content?oid=1243617 Blanco's Bid New Orleans News and Entertainment 2004-12-07 2016-08-08 January 4, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150104220352/http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/blancos-bid/Content?oid=1243617 dead (Democratic) (ran for re-election) Declined W. Fox McKeithen, Louisiana secretary of state and son of John McKeithenJeffrey D. Sadow Sadow Jeff http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/2005/07/mckeithens-death-raises-provocative.html McKeithen's death raises provocative questions Between The Lines 2009-12-16 2016-08-08 July 2, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150702130753/http://jeffsadow.blogspot.com/2005/07/mckeithens-death-raises-provocative.html live (Republican) (ran for re-election) Campaign In March 1991, Roemer switched to the Republican Party just months before the state elections,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TjQdAAAAIBAJ&pg=5904,3378123 The Milwaukee Journal March 18, 1991 Trio in Louisiana make up unusual slate for governor Associated Press at the apparent urging of White House chief of staff John H. Sununu.http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/la/orleans/obits/1/m-07.txt M Obituaries Orleans Parish Louisiana: 001924 Martinez LAGenWeb Archives August 30, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20071031083718/http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/la/orleans/obits/1/m-07.txt October 31, 2007 Roemer's late-term party switch dismayed both Democratic and Republican politicians and activists, scrambling the field for the 1991 gubernatorial election. Seeking the unified support of his new party, Roemer attempted to get the Louisiana Republican Party to cancel its scheduled convention to endorse a candidate for governor. When he failed, he skipped the event entirely. As expected, the convention endorsed U.S. representative Clyde C. Holloway, who had the support of anti-abortion activists.Patrick Thomas https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-14-mn-658-story.html Louisiana GOP Expected to Reject Roemer Los Angeles Times 1991-06-14 2016-08-08 In May 1991, Kathleen Blanco announced her candidacy, making her the first woman in forty years to launch a serious campaign for governor. Because Blanco was from Acadiana, her candidacy was expected to complicate Edward Edwards's bid for a fourth term. However, she withdrew from the race after 100 days to run for re-election. Blanco would later be elected governor in her own right in 2003. With Blanco out and secretary of state W. Fox McKeithen declining to campaign, the field settled on Duke, Edwards, Holloway, and Roemer. Roemer was wounded by mistakes during his term as governor, while Edwards and Duke each had a passionate base of support. Roemer was also hurt by a last-minute advertising barrage by Jack Kent, the owner of Marine Shale. Marine Shale had been targeted by Roemer for environmental pollution, and Kent spent $500,000 (approximately $USD 500000 1991 -3 c in USD) of his own money in the closing days of the campaign to purchase anti-Roemer commercials.October 2026 James Meredith, the first black student accepted to the University of Mississippi, campaigned in support of David Duke.Duke Lynne Cannon Lou 1991-09-24 MEREDITH MAKES AD FOR EX-KLANSMAN https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/09/24/meredith-makes-ad-for-ex-klansman/635cdaa1-65cc-403f-930d-01d6d9e991a8/ 2026-09-05 The Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 Results 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial electionOctober 2026 Democratic Party (United States) Edwin Edwards 523,096 33.76% Republican Party (United States) David Duke 491,342 31.71% Republican Party (United States) Buddy Roemer (incumbent) 410,690 26.51% Republican Party (United States) Clyde C. Holloway 82,683 5.34% Democratic Party (United States) Sam S. Jones 11,847 0.76% Independent politician Ed Karst 9,663 0.62% Democratic Party (United States) Fred Dent 7,385 0.48% Republican Party (United States) Anne Thompson 4,118 0.27% Democratic Party (United States) Jim Crowley 4,000 0.26% Democratic Party (United States) Albert Powell 2,053 0.13% Independent politician Ronnie Johnson 1,372 0.09% - Democratic Party (United States) Cousin Ken Lewis 1,006 0.06% 1,549,255 100 Runoff election Candidates David Duke, state representative and 1990 candidate for U.S. Senate (Republican) Edwin Edwards, former governor of Louisiana (Democratic) Predictions SourceRatingAs of The Cook Political Report1991 CPR Governor Race Ratings https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/governor-race-ratings/511371 The Cook Political Report March 10, 2026 Toss Up October 29, 1991 Campaign Faced with a choice between Duke and Edwards, many Louisianans who had otherwise been critical of Edwards now looked favorably on him as an alternative. This included incumbent governor Roemer, who had run on an "Anyone but Edwards" platform in 1987. Roemer ultimately endorsed Edwards over Duke, the putative Republican candidate in the race. The resulting runoff campaign was widely seen as one of the dirtiest and most negative campaigns in recent history.Levin Josh 2020-07-15 David Duke's War Against Two Louisiana Governors https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/07/david-duke-1991-governor-primary-edwards-roemer-slow-burn-transcript.html 2024-09-29 Slate en-US 1091-2339 Edwards and his supporters seized on Duke's record as a white supremacist; Duke responded by claiming to be a born-again Christian who had renounced racism and antisemitism after his conversion.Suro David The 1991 Election: Louisiana – Bush Denounces Duke As Racist and Charlatan https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/07/us/the-1991-election-louisiana-bush-denounces-duke-as-racist-and-charlatan.html The New York Times 2 July 1996 December 29, 2018 February 17, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20181229225204/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/07/us/the-1991-election-louisiana-bush-denounces-duke-as-racist-and-charlatan.html live As they had in 1990, nearly all national Republican Party leaders rejected Duke's candidacy. In a news conference, President George H. W. Bush condemned Duke as unfit for public office, stating: When someone has a long record, an ugly record, of racism and bigotry, that record simply cannot be erased by the glib rhetoric of a political campaign. So I believe David Duke is an insincere charlatan. I believe he's attempting to hoodwink the voters of Louisiana. I believe he should be rejected for what he is and what he stands for. Humorous unofficial bumper stickers were created to support Edwards over Duke, despite Edwards's negative reputation for corruption. One bumper sticker read, "Vote for the Lizard, not the Wizard",Bridges Tyler The Rise of David Duke 1994 University Press of Mississippi 9780878056781 232 9 July 2026 https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Rise_of_David_Duke/V08TAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=lizard Anti-Duke bumper stickers sprouted on cars throughout the state. "No Dukes" was the favorite, but other popular ones were "Vote for the Lizard, not the Wizard" and "Vote for the Crook. It's Important." and another read, "Vote For The Crook: It's Important."http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974345,00.html The No-Win Election TIME Magazine November 25, 1991 Michael Riley Don Winbush Richard Woodbury August 17, 2025 August 13, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130813093744/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974345,00.html dead"Voters to pick 'scoundrel' or ex-KKK Grand Wizard" https://web.archive.org/web/20160424135057/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=70UbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6U4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=vote%20for%20the%20crook%20it%27s%20important&pg=4928%2C3605557 2016-04-24 , Milwaukee Sentinel, November 15, 1991Photo of bumper sticker https://web.archive.org/web/20120925004604/http://photos.nola.com/tpphotos/2011/12/175duke.html September 25, 2012 , New Orleans Times-Picayune thumb|right|Anti-Duke poster in New Orleans. Debate One debate was held between the candidates, on November 6. During the debate, Norman Robinson, an African American journalist, told Duke that he was "scared" at the prospect of Duke becoming governor because of his history of "diabolical, evil, vile" comments, some of which he read to Duke, and he pressed Duke for an apology. When Duke protested that Robinson was not being fair to him, Robinson replied that he did not think Duke was being honest. The exchange received national media attention, and Jason Berry of the Los Angeles Times later called it "startling TV" and the "catalyst" for overwhelming turnout among African American voters in the run-off.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-24-op-92-story.html Duke Gets His Comeuppance From the Victims of His Hate Message : Politics: Up until an amazing TV exchange, Louisiana's blacks had remained on the sidelines. Then they flooded the polls. Los Angeles Times Jason Berry November 24, 1991 November 11, 2014 December 20, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141220232948/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-11-24/opinion/op-92_1_duke-blacks-louisiana live Results 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial electionOctober 2026 Democratic Party (United States) Edwin Edwards 1,057,031 61.17% 27.41 Republican Party (United States) David Duke 671,009 38.83 7.12 1,728,040 100.00% Democratic Party (United States) Republican Party (United States) N/A Results by parish Runoff results by parishNov 16 1991 (by parish) Election Results https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/graphical sos.la.gov Louisiana Secretary of State 3 August 2023 May 18, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190518051500/https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/graphical live Parish Edwards Duke Margin Total votes cast # % # % # %Acadia14,92860.44%9,77239.56%5,15620.88%24,700Allen6,17160.46%4,03639.54%2,13520.92%10,207Ascension14,79253.48%12,86746.52%1,9256.96%27,659Assumption6,48859.67%4,38540.33%2,10319.34%10,873Avoyelles9,04453.72%7,79246.28%1,2527.44%16,836Beauregard5,56546.70%6,35153.30%7866.60%11,916Bienville4,68559.30%3,21640.70%1,46918.60%7,901Bossier14,53650.14%14,45749.86%790.28%28,993Caddo59,93364.08%33,59135.92%26,34228.16%93,524Calcasieu40,61765.71%21,19334.29%19,42431.42%61,810Caldwell2,11237.04%3,59062.96%1,47815.92%5,702Cameron2,66964.75%1,45335.25%1,21619.50%4,122Catahoula2,81544.79%3,47055.21%65510.42%6,285Claiborne4,32957.70%3,17442.30%1,15515.40%7,503Concordia4,54447.41%5,04052.59%4965.18%9,584De Soto6,60759.11%4,57140.89%2,03618.22%11,178East Baton Rouge100,13866.41%50,65633.59%49,48232.82%150,794East Carroll3,01768.98%1,35731.02%1,66037.96%4,374East Feliciana4,94959.55%3,36240.45%1,58719.10%8,311Evangeline8,94754.50%7,47045.50%1,4779.00%16,417Franklin4,41041.65%6,17958.35%1,76916.70%10,589Grant3,51643.86%4,50056.14%98412.28%8,016Iberia16,59456.43%12,81443.57%3,78012.86%29,408Iberville10,69364.56%5,87035.44%4,82329.12%16,563Jackson3,34544.49%4,17355.51%82811.02%7,518Jefferson102,26159.30%70,18340.70%32,07818.60%172,444Jefferson Davis8,58163.79%4,87036.21%3,71127.58%13,451Lafayette40,81664.63%22,33635.37%18,48029.26%63,152Lafourche21,34659.29%14,65540.71%6,69118.58%36,001LaSalle2,43233.12%4,91066.88%2,47833.76%7,342Lincoln9,38261.22%5,94338.78%3,43922.44%15,325Livingston12,15239.58%18,55460.42%6,40220.84%30,706Madison3,58261.04%2,28638.96%1,29622.08%5,868Morehouse6,51747.30%7,26152.70%7445.60%13,778Natchitoches8,87058.24%6,36041.76%2,51016.48%15,230Orleans173,74487.02%25,92112.98%147,82374.04%199,665Ouachita26,13749.45%26,72250.55%5851.10%52,859Plaquemines6,68955.79%5,30144.21%1,38811.58%11,990Pointe Coupee7,43061.32%4,68738.68%2,74322.64%12,117Rapides27,63855.95%21,76244.05%5,87611.90%49,400Red River2,67453.34%2,33946.66%3356.68%5,013Richland3,97043.39%5,17956.61%1,20913.22%9,149Sabine4,63546.88%5,25153.12%6166.24%9,886St. Bernard14,39444.23%18,15355.77%3,75911.54%32,547St. Charles12,68061.66%7,88538.34%4,79523.32%20,565St. Helena3,70060.18%2,44839.82%1,25220.36%6,148St. James8,02866.34%4,07433.66%3,95432.68%12,102St. John the Baptist11,99364.21%6,68535.79%5,30828.42%18,678St. Landry23,36261.34%14,72538.66%8,63722.68%38,087St. Martin12,72664.20%7,09535.80%5,63128.40%19,821St. Mary15,03961.42%9,44738.58%5,59222.84%24,486St. Tammany32,67855.88%25,80044.12%6,87811.76%58,478Tangipahoa18,77953.28%16,46946.72%2,3106.56%35,248Tensas1,99358.84%1,39441.16%59917.68%3,387Terrebonne19,79959.17%13,66240.83%6,13718.34%33,461Union4,02940.09%6,02059.91%1,99119.82%10,049Vermillion14,47764.75%7,88235.25%6,59529.50%22,359Vernon6,67649.33%6,85650.67%1801.31%13,532Washington9,15746.40%10,57753.60%1,4207.20%19,734Webster9,02451.77%8,40648.23%6183.54%17,430West Baton Rouge6,01659.52%4,09240.48%1,02419.04%10,108West Carroll1,62531.12%3,59668.88%1,97137.76%5,221West Feliciana2,89664.47%1,59635.53%1,30028.94%4,492Winn3,66046.05%4,28853.95%6287.90%7,948Totals1,057,03161.17%671,00938.83%386,02222.34%1,728,040 Analysis Edwards's landslide victory was attributed to the almost-unanimous support he received from African American voters, who also turned out at a rate of 80 percent. He also won 75 percent of voters who had voted for Roemer in the first round, 63 percent of female voters, 59 percent of male voters, and 66 percent of voters with annual incomes above $75,000. By contrast, Duke received support primarily from lower and lower-middle income white households, including 56 percent of white voters with family incomes under $15,000, 63 percent of those with incomes between $15,000 and $29,999, and 60 percent of those with incomes between $30,000 and $49,999.November 18, 1991 Blacks and Affluent Whites Give Edwards Victory The New York Times Peter Applebome https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/18/us/blacks-and-affluent-whites-give-edwards-victory.html https://web.archive.org/web/20240115161605/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/18/us/blacks-and-affluent-whites-give-edwards-victory.html January 15, 2024 See also 2002 French presidential election, where opponents of white nationalist candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen used the slogan "Vote for the Crook, not the Fascist" 2016 Peruvian presidential election, where opponents of Fujimorism united behind Keiko Fujimori's centre-right adversary in the second round 2026 Portuguese presidential election, where opponents of right-wing populist André Ventura united behind his socialist adversary References Sources First gubernatorial debate Second gubernatorial debate Third gubernatorial debate Louisiana Secretary of State Elections Division. Official Election Results Database Statewide primary results, October 19, 1991 Primary results by parish: Governor, October 19, 1991 Statewide runoff results, November 16, 1991 Runoff results by parish: Governor, November 16, 1991 WWL-TV (New Orleans) coverage of runoff results WDSU-TV (New Orleans) Coverage of Runoff Results (Via C-SPAN) 1991 Gubernatorial Louisiana Category:October 1991 in the United States Category:November 1991 in the United States Category:David Duke