Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1928
Encyclopedia
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1928 was held on January 17, 1928. Like in most Southern states between Reconstruction and the civil rights era, Louisiana
's Republican Party was virtually nonexistent in terms of electoral support. This meant that the Democratic Party
primary held on this date was the real contest over who would be governor
.
The 1928 election resulted in the election of Huey Long
as Governor of Louisiana, and created a political realignment in the state between Long and anti-Long factions that lasted for several decades.
had begun his 1928 campaign for governor shortly after being defeated in the 1924 election
. This time around, Long had managed to secure more campaign funding from contributors like New Orleans businessman Robert Maestri
. He also had a greatly raised profile, in part due to his strategic decision to campaign on behalf of Catholic candidates Edwin S. Broussard
and Joseph E. Ransdell
in the U.S. Senate races of 1924 and 1926. This gave him a significant boost in support in Catholic southern Louisiana. He had also built a reputation due to frequent radio appearances and newspaper stories, and had built a stronger campaign organization than he had in 1924.
Riley J. Wilson
- Four intervening years had made Louisiana’s political and economic establishment begin to see Long as a threat. Consisting of wealthy planters, businessmen, and New Orleans's Regular Democratic Organization
political bosses, the political leadership of the state united behind the candidacy of U.S. Congressman Riley J. Wilson
of Ruston
in July 1927. His campaign focused on the threat of Long’s radicalism; a banner reading “It Won’t Be Long Now” was featured prominently at Wilson’s campaign stops. Wilson's reputation was tainted by his connection to what was perceived to be an inadequate federal response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
; he was the ranking member of Congress's Flood Control Committee.
Oramel H. Simpson
- Incumbent governor Oramel H. Simpson of New Orleans also ran for re-election, but his campaign was seen as bland and ineffectual and attracted little support. Having become governor only with the death of Henry L. Fuqua
in 1926, former Lieutenant Governor Simpson was not considered by the establishment to be a strong enough candidate to face Long. Like Wilson, Simpson's already lukewarm levels of support suffered after disaffection with his response to the Mississippi flood. He was also handicapped by a reputation for heavy drinking.
Following the lopsided showings of the first primary, Simpson refused to support Wilson in the runoff and Wilson withdrew from the race.
Long carried 47 of 64 parishes, including the majority of rural parishes in both Anglo-Saxon Protestant northern and French Catholic southern Louisiana, a nearly unprecedented accomplishment up to that time. Only New Orleans, still firmly controlled by the Regular Democratic Organization, spurned Long in favor of the machine's chosen candidate Wilson. The political upheaval of Long's 1928 victory spurred a realignment in Louisiana politics based on urban-rural and class-based divisions rather than the religious and cultural divisions which had predominated up to that time. In every state election from 1928 to 1960, the legacy of Huey Long would be the primary campaign issue.
General Election – April 17, 1928
Hair, William Ivy. The Kingfish and His Realm: The Life and Times of Huey P. Long. LSU Press, 1991.
White, Richard. Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long. Random House, 2006.
Williams, T. Harry. Huey Long. Knopf, 1970.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
's Republican Party was virtually nonexistent in terms of electoral support. This meant that the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary held on this date was the real contest over who would be governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
.
The 1928 election resulted in the election of Huey Long
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
as Governor of Louisiana, and created a political realignment in the state between Long and anti-Long factions that lasted for several decades.
Candidates
Huey P. Long - Huey Long of WinnfieldWinnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
had begun his 1928 campaign for governor shortly after being defeated in the 1924 election
Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1924
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1924 was held in two rounds on January 15 and February 19, 1924. Like most Southern states between Reconstruction and the civil rights era, Louisiana's Republican Party was virtually nonexistent in terms of electoral support. This meant that the two...
. This time around, Long had managed to secure more campaign funding from contributors like New Orleans businessman Robert Maestri
Robert Maestri
Robert Sidney Maestri was mayor of New Orleans from 1936 to 1946 and a key ally of Huey P. Long, Jr., and Earl Kemp Long.- Early life :...
. He also had a greatly raised profile, in part due to his strategic decision to campaign on behalf of Catholic candidates Edwin S. Broussard
Edwin S. Broussard
Edwin Sidney Broussard I was a United States senator from Louisiana. He was born in the village of Loureauville in Iberia Parish in the sugar-growing country of south Louisiana and attended public schools. He graduated from the Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge in 1896. He taught in the...
and Joseph E. Ransdell
Joseph E. Ransdell
Joseph Eugene Ransdell was a United States Representative and Senator from Louisiana. Born in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish in central Louisiana, Ransdell attended public schools. In 1882, he graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York...
in the U.S. Senate races of 1924 and 1926. This gave him a significant boost in support in Catholic southern Louisiana. He had also built a reputation due to frequent radio appearances and newspaper stories, and had built a stronger campaign organization than he had in 1924.
Riley J. Wilson
Riley J. Wilson
Riley Joseph Wilson was a Louisiana educator, attorney, and legislator in the first half of the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. A Democrat, Wilson served in the United States House of Representatives from 1915 until 1937...
- Four intervening years had made Louisiana’s political and economic establishment begin to see Long as a threat. Consisting of wealthy planters, businessmen, and New Orleans's Regular Democratic Organization
Regular Democratic Organization
The Regular Democratic Organization , or Old Regulars, or the New Orleans Ring, is a conservative political organization based in New Orleans. It has existed for 130 years and as of 2006 is still active. The symbol of the RDO is the rooster...
political bosses, the political leadership of the state united behind the candidacy of U.S. Congressman Riley J. Wilson
Riley J. Wilson
Riley Joseph Wilson was a Louisiana educator, attorney, and legislator in the first half of the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. A Democrat, Wilson served in the United States House of Representatives from 1915 until 1937...
of Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
in July 1927. His campaign focused on the threat of Long’s radicalism; a banner reading “It Won’t Be Long Now” was featured prominently at Wilson’s campaign stops. Wilson's reputation was tainted by his connection to what was perceived to be an inadequate federal response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.-Events:The flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to...
; he was the ranking member of Congress's Flood Control Committee.
Oramel H. Simpson
Oramel H. Simpson
Oramel Hinckley Simpson was an American politician from the US state of Louisiana. He became the 39th Governor of Louisiana in 1926, upon the death of his predecessor, Henry L. Fuqua...
- Incumbent governor Oramel H. Simpson of New Orleans also ran for re-election, but his campaign was seen as bland and ineffectual and attracted little support. Having become governor only with the death of Henry L. Fuqua
Henry L. Fuqua
Henry Luse Fuqua was a Baton Rouge businessman Fuqua defeated both Huey Pierce Long, Jr., and Lieutenant Governor Hewitt Leonidas Bouanchaud in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1924 to succeed the term-limited John M. Parker...
in 1926, former Lieutenant Governor Simpson was not considered by the establishment to be a strong enough candidate to face Long. Like Wilson, Simpson's already lukewarm levels of support suffered after disaffection with his response to the Mississippi flood. He was also handicapped by a reputation for heavy drinking.
Campaign
Despite negative coverage by the majority of the state's newspapers, Long managed to gain the support of the New Orleans States and the Shreveport Times. The New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Shreveport Caucasian supported Simpson, while the New Orleans Item supported Wilson. Long's seemingly inexhaustible energy gave him an advantage, as he managed to travel extensively across the state, making several stops a day in rural areas neglected by the other candidates. His campaign used the slogan “Every Man a King, But No One Wears a Crown.” Long's theatrical oratory combined insulting his opponents and the corporations he blamed for the state's underdevelopment with promising increased educational funding, free textbooks, public hospitals, and free bridges and road improvements. He also campaigned against the corruption and wastefulness of previous administrations. Simpson and Wilson, offering only bland defenses of the status quo, were often overwhelmed when appearing alongside Long at debates and other campaign events. A widely publicized fistfight between Long and former governor Jared Y. Sanders during the campaign did nothing to damage Long's popularity.Results
Democratic Primary – January 17, 1928| Candidate | Votes received | Percentage of votes cast |
|---|---|---|
| Huey P. Long | 126,842 | 43.9% |
| Riley J. Wilson Riley J. Wilson Riley Joseph Wilson was a Louisiana educator, attorney, and legislator in the first half of the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. A Democrat, Wilson served in the United States House of Representatives from 1915 until 1937... |
81,747 | 28.3% |
| Oramel H. Simpson Oramel H. Simpson Oramel Hinckley Simpson was an American politician from the US state of Louisiana. He became the 39th Governor of Louisiana in 1926, upon the death of his predecessor, Henry L. Fuqua... |
80,326 | 27.8% |
Following the lopsided showings of the first primary, Simpson refused to support Wilson in the runoff and Wilson withdrew from the race.
Long carried 47 of 64 parishes, including the majority of rural parishes in both Anglo-Saxon Protestant northern and French Catholic southern Louisiana, a nearly unprecedented accomplishment up to that time. Only New Orleans, still firmly controlled by the Regular Democratic Organization, spurned Long in favor of the machine's chosen candidate Wilson. The political upheaval of Long's 1928 victory spurred a realignment in Louisiana politics based on urban-rural and class-based divisions rather than the religious and cultural divisions which had predominated up to that time. In every state election from 1928 to 1960, the legacy of Huey Long would be the primary campaign issue.
General Election – April 17, 1928
| Candidate | Votes received | Percentage of votes cast |
|---|---|---|
| Huey P. Long (Democratic) | 92,941 | 96.14% |
| Etienne J. Caire (Republican) | 3,733 | 3.86% |
Sources
Compilation of Primary Election Returns of the Democratic Party, State of Louisiana. 1928.Hair, William Ivy. The Kingfish and His Realm: The Life and Times of Huey P. Long. LSU Press, 1991.
White, Richard. Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long. Random House, 2006.
Williams, T. Harry. Huey Long. Knopf, 1970.