Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1987
Encyclopedia
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1987 resulted in the election of Buddy Roemer
as governor of Louisiana.
. 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 24, 1987. Having come in second place, Edwin Edwards was entitled to face Roemer in the runoff, but he withdrew from the race after the first round of voting. Buddy Roemer, elected as a Democrat, switched his party affiliation to Republican during his term as governor.
First voting round, October 24
Runoff did not occur due to Edwards withdrawing
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
as governor of Louisiana.
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 24, 1987. Having come in second place, Edwin Edwards was entitled to face Roemer in the runoff, but he withdrew from the race after the first round of voting. Buddy Roemer, elected as a Democrat, switched his party affiliation to Republican during his term as governor.
Results
| Candidate | Party affiliation | Votes received | Percentage of votes cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buddy Roemer Buddy Roemer Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991... |
Democrat | 516,078 | 33% |
| 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 | 437,801 | 28% |
| Robert "Bob" Livingston Bob Livingston Robert Linlithgow "Bob" Livingston Jr. is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist and a former Republican U.S. Representative from Louisiana... |
Republican | 287,780 | 18% |
| Billy Tauzin Billy Tauzin Wilbert Joseph Tauzin II , usually known as Billy Tauzin, American lobbyist and politician of Cajun descent, was President and CEO of PhRMA, a pharmaceutical company lobby group... |
Democrat | 154,079 | 10% |
| James H. "Jim" Brown | Democrat | 138,223 | 9% |
| Speedy O. Long Speedy O. Long Speedy Oteria Long was a Jena lawyer who was a Democratic U.S. Representative from central Louisiana between 1965 and 1973. Prior to his tenure in the since disbanded Eighth Congressional District, Speedy Long had been a member of the Louisiana state Senate... |
Democrat | 18,738 | 1% |
| Earl J. Amedee | Democrat | 3,767 | 0% |
| Ken "Cousin Ken" Lewis | Democrat | 2,264 | 0% |
Runoff did not occur due to Edwards withdrawing