Home About Chat Users Issues Party Candidates Polling Firms Media News Polls Calendar Key Races United States President Senate House Governors International

New User Account
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource." 
Email: Password:

  Louisiana: The No-Win Election
NEWS DETAILS
Parent(s) Race 
ContributorJason 
Last EditedJason  Nov 20, 2010 01:29am
Logged 1 [Older]
CategoryGeneral
MediaWeekly News Magazine - TIME Magazine
News DateMonday, November 25, 1991 06:00:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionIn the privacy of the voting booth, it came down to a balance of terror. After riding out the historic race between neo-Nazi David Duke and rapscallion Edwin Edwards, Louisianians had to choose between Duke's appeal to white hostility and fear of the economic chaos and racial divisions that his victory promised. In the end, their pocketbooks and qualms about Duke prevailed.

Throughout the campaign, Edwards supporters warned that if Louisiana elected a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan as Governor, a wave of revulsion would sweep business, tourism, conventions and jobs out of the state. Duke skillfully manipulated the politics of discontent, playing on resentment of quotas, welfare and Big Government. He railed against Edwards' liberalism and his penchant for gambling and womanizing and trading government jobs for campaign contributions. But in the end, the bumper sticker won the day: VOTE FOR THE CROOK: IT'S IMPORTANT. Concluding that electing a bigot would be too costly to a state in dire economic straits, voters gave Edwards 60% of the vote. The turnout was an astonishing 75%.
Share
ArticleRead Full Article

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor

DISCUSSION