Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1983
Encyclopedia
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1983 resulted in the election of Edwin Edwards
as governor of Louisiana, defeating incumbent David Treen.
. 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.[2] In this election, the first round of voting was held on October 22, 1983. Since Edwards won more than 50% of the votes on the first round, no runoff was needed.
Edwin Edwards
Edwin Washington Edwards served as the Governor of Louisiana for four terms , twice as many terms as any other Louisiana chief executive has served. Edwards was also Louisiana's first Roman Catholic governor in the 20th century...
as governor of Louisiana, defeating incumbent David Treen.
Background
Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system called the jungle primaryJungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
. 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.[2] In this election, the first round of voting was held on October 22, 1983. Since Edwards won more than 50% of the votes on the first round, no runoff was needed.
Results
First voting round, October 22| Candidate | Party affiliation | Votes received | Percentage of votes cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Edwards Edwin Edwards Edwin Washington Edwards served as the Governor of Louisiana for four terms , twice as many terms as any other Louisiana chief executive has served. Edwards was also Louisiana's first Roman Catholic governor in the 20th century... |
Democrat | 1,006,561 | 62.3% |
| David Treen | Republican | 588,508 | 36.42 |
| Robert M. Ross | Republican | 7,625 | 0.47% |
| Ken "Cousin Ken" Lewis | Democrat | 4,128 | |
| Charley Moore Charley Moore Charles Wesley Moore was a Major League Baseball infielder who played in five games for the 1912 Chicago Cubs. He later managed in the minor leagues.-External links:... |
No Party | 2,391 | |
| Floyd W. Smith, Jr. Floyd Smith (Louisiana politician) Floyd William Smith, Jr. , was a businessman from Winnfield, Louisiana, who served as the Democratic mayor of Pineville in Rapides Parish from 1966-1970. He was a maternal second cousin of former U.S. Representative Speedy O... |
Democrat | 2,314 | |
| Michele A. Smith | No Party | 2,299 | |
| Joseph Thomas Robino, Jr. | No Party | 1,048 | |
| Michael J. Musmeci, Sr. | Democrat | 1,031 | |