Summary
The 1986 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 4, 1986. Democratic nominee John Breaux defeated Republican nominee Henson Moore with 52.82% of the vote.
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  Breaux: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Moore: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 80–90% Nunez: 40–50% Jumonville: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign edit
U.S. Senator Russell B. Long declined to seek another term in the 1986 election. Republican candidate Moore placed first ahead of Democratic candidate Breaux in the primary.[1]
President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush campaigned in the state two and four times respectively.[2]
Two weeks before the election Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise unsealed an internal memo between Kris Wolfe, the regional director for the Republican National Committee, and Lanny Griffith, the RNC's regional director in the south. The memo was about their usage of Ballot Integrity Groups to "eliminate at least 60-80,000 folks from the rolls" as "this could keep the black vote down considerably". The purge targeted precincts that gave Reagan less than 20% of the vote and removed 34,000 black voters from the rolls in Louisiana.[2][3]
Moore denied involvement with the scheme, but one of his campaign staffers was mentioned in the memo. Breaux accused the Republicans of conducting a Watergate coverup and voter registration rolls increased by 38,054 before the election. Breaux defeated Moore in the election.[4]
Breaux received 89% of the black vote.[5]
Primary election edit
Primary elections were held on September 27, 1986.[6]
Candidates edit
- Henson Moore, U.S. Representative from Baton Rouge
- John Breaux, U.S. Representative from Crowley
- Samuel B. Nunez Jr., State Senator from Chalmette
- J. E. Jumonville Jr., State Senator from Ventress
- Sherman A. Bernard, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner
- Eli Williams
- Robert H. Briggs
- Frank J. McTopy
- Fred Collins
- John H. Myers
- Ken Lewis
- Vincent Giardina
- Robert M. Ross
- Nels J'Anthony
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henson Moore | 529,433 | 44.22 | |
| Democratic | John Breaux | 447,328 | 37.36 | |
| Democratic | Samuel B. Nunez Jr. | 73,505 | 6.14 | |
| Democratic | J. E. Jumonville Jr. | 53,394 | 4.46 | |
| Democratic | Sherman A. Bernard | 52,479 | 4.38 | |
| Democratic | Eli Williams | 7,286 | 0.61 | |
| Democratic | Robert H. Briggs | 6,953 | 0.58 | |
| Independent | Frank J. McTopy | 6,746 | 0.56 | |
| Democratic | Fred Collins | 5,341 | 0.45 | |
| Democratic | John H. Myers | 4,084 | 0.34 | |
| Democratic | Ken Lewis | 3,415 | 0.29 | |
| Independent | Vincent Giardina | 2,640 | 0.22 | |
| Republican | Robert M. Ross | 2,493 | 0.21 | |
| Independent | Nels J'Anthony | 2,144 | 0.18 | |
| Total votes | 1,197,241 | 100.00 | ||
General election edit
Candidates edit
- John Breaux, Democratic
- Henson Moore, Republican
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Breaux | 723,586 | 52.82% | ||
| Republican | Henson Moore | 646,311 | 47.18% | ||
| Majority | 77,275 | ||||
| Turnout | 1,369,897 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 74-75.
- ^ a b Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 75.
- ^ "G.O.P. Memo Tells of Black Vote Cut". The New York Times. October 25, 1986. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023.
- ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 75-76.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 356.
- ^ a b "Results for Election Date: 9/27/1986". Voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ "Results for Election Date: 11/4/1986". Voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
Works cited edit
- Black, Earl; Black, Merle (1992). The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674941306.
- Moreland, Laurence; Steed, Robert; Baker, Tod, eds. (1991). The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0275931455.