Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1971-72
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The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1971-1972 was held in three rounds. The two Democratic Party primaries were held on November 6 and December 8, 1971. The general election was held on February 1, 1972, in which Edwin Edwards defeated Republican candidate David Treen to become Governor of Louisiana.
Early in the campaign, conventional wisdom of many political analysts predicted that the race's top candidates would be Gillis Long, Jimmie Davis, and C.C. "Taddy" Aycock. However, the two candidates to make the runoff, Edwin Edwards and J. Bennett Johnston, were relative newcomers to the Louisiana political scene.
[edit] Results
First Democratic Party Primary, November 6, 1971
| Candidate | Votes received | Percentage of votes cast |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Edwards | 276,397 | 23.54% |
| J. Bennett Johnston | 208,830 | 17.79% |
| Gillis William Long | 164,276 | 13.99% |
| Jimmie H. Davis | 138,756 | 11.82% |
| John G. Schwegmann | 92,072 | 7.84% |
| C.C. "Taddy" Aycock | 88,465 | 7.54% |
| Samuel Bell, Sr. | 72,486 | 6.17% |
| Speedy O. Long | 61,359 | 5.23% |
| Frank T. Salter, Jr. | 32,203 | 2.74% |
| James W. Moore | 9408 | 0.8% |
| Warren J. "Puggy" Moity | 8965 | 0.76% |
| David L. Chandler | 7244 | 0.62% |
| Huey P. Coleman | 4833 | 0.41% |
| Harold Lee Bethune II | 3032 | 0.26% |
| Wilford L. Thompson, Sr. | 2535 | 0.21% |
| Addison Roswell Thompson | 1924 | 0.16% |
| Jimmy Strain | 1258 | 0.11% |
Second Democratic Party Primary, December 18, 1971
| Candidate | Votes received | Percentage of votes cast |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Edwards | 584,262 | 50.19% |
| J. Bennett Johnston | 579,774 | 49.81% |
General Election, February 1, 1972
| Candidate | Party | Votes received | Percentage of votes cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Edwards | Democrat | 641,146 | 57.2% |
| David Treen | Republican | 480,424 | 42.8% |
| Preceded by 1967 gubernatorial election |
Louisiana gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1975 gubernatorial election |
[edit] Sources
Louisiana Secretary of State. Primary Election Returns, 1971
