1983 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election

1983 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election

←  1979 22 October 1983 (first round) 19 November 1983 (runoff) 1987  →

Candidate Robert Louis Freeman Sr. Jimmy Fitzmorris William J. Long Party Democratic Democratic Democratic First round 732,247 47.52% 622,521 40.40% 140,017 9.09% Runoff 625,306 59.50% 425,536 40.50% Eliminated

Lieutenant Governor before election Robert Louis Freeman Sr. Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor Robert Louis Freeman Sr. Democratic

The 1983 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on 19 November 1983 in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Robert Louis Freeman Sr. won re-election against fellow Democratic candidate and former lieutenant governor Jimmy Fitzmorris in the Runoff election.

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 22 October 1983. The runoff was held on 19 November 1983. ^[1]

Primary election

On election day, 22 October 1983, incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Robert Louis Freeman Sr. and former Democratic lieutenant governor Jimmy Fitzmorris received the most votes and thus advanced to a runoff election on 19 November. ^[2]

Results

Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial primary election, 1983

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Louis Freeman Sr. (incumbent)	732,247	47.52
	Democratic	Jimmy Fitzmorris	622,521	40.40
	Democratic	William J. Long	140,017	9.09
	Republican	Larry Napoleon Cooper	46,056	2.99
Total votes			1,540,841	100.00

Runoff election

On election day, 19 November 1983, incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Robert Louis Freeman Sr. defeated fellow Democratic candidate and former lieutenant governor Jimmy Fitzmorris by a margin of 199,770 votes, thereby retaining Democratic control over the office of lieutenant governor. Freeman was sworn in for his second term on 12 March 1984. ^[3]

Results

Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial runoff election, 1983

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Louis Freeman Sr. (incumbent)	625,306	59.50
	Democratic	Jimmy Fitzmorris	425,536	40.50
Total votes			1,050,842	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. Wayne, Stephen (2008). Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process Fifth Edition. Rowman & Littlefield.
2. "LA Lt. Governor - Initial Election". ourcampaigns.com. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
3. "LA Lt. Governor - Runoff". ourcampaigns.com. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2025.