Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1979

Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1979

December 8, 1979

Nominee David Treen Louis Lambert Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 690,691 681,134 Percentage 50.35% 49.65%

Governor before election Edwin Edwards Democratic Elected Governor David Treen Republican

Elections in Louisiana
Federal government Presidential Elections 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 Presidential primaries Democratic 2008 Republican 2008 2012 U.S. Senate elections 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 U.S. House elections 2000 2002 2004 2006 (2nd) 2008 (2nd) 2010 2012 2014 2016 Special elections 1st district, 2008 6th district, 2008 5th district, 2013
State government State elections by year 2007 2010 2011 2015 Gubernatorial elections 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1830 (special) 1834 1838 1842 1846 1849 1852 1855 1859 1863 (Confederate) 1864 (Union) 1865 1868 1872 1876 1879 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1959–60 1963–64 1967 1971–72 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 Lieutenant gubernatorial elections 2010 (special) 2015 Attorney General elections 2011 2015
Ballot measures 2004 Amendment 1
New Orleans Mayoral elections 1866 1930 1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1965 1969–70 1973 1977 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 New Orleans City Council elections 2006 2010 2014
Shreveport Mayoral elections 2014

The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1979 resulted in the election of David Treen as the first Republican governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction.

Background

Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system called the jungle primary or the nonpartisan blanket primary. 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. Texas uses this same format for its special elections. In this election, the first round of voting was held on October 27, 1979. The runoff was held on December 8, 1979.

Results

First voting round, October 27

Runoff, December 8

Sources

State of Louisiana. Primary and General Election Returns, 1979.