Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1952

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Louisiana Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1952

Flag of Louisiana (1912-2006).svg


  1948 February 19, 1952 1956  

  Robert F. Kennon portrait.jpg
Candidate Robert F. Kennon Carlos Spaht
Party Democratic Democratic
Popular vote482,302 302,743
Percentage61.44% 38.56%

Governor before election

Earl K. Long
Democratic

Elected Governor

Robert F. Kennon
Democratic

The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1952 was held in two rounds on January 15 and February 19, 1952. Like most Southern states between the Reconstruction Era and the Civil Rights Movement, Louisiana's Republican Party was virtually nonexistent in terms of electoral support.

Louisiana State of the United States of America

Louisiana is a state in the Deep South region of the South Central United States. It is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States. Louisiana is bordered by the state of Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. A large part of its eastern boundary is demarcated by the Mississippi River. Louisiana is the only U.S. state with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are equivalent to counties. The state's capital is Baton Rouge, and its largest city is New Orleans.

Republican Party (United States) Major political party in the United States

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

Contents

This meant that the two Democratic Party primary elections held on these dates were the real contest over who would be governor of Louisiana. The 1952 election saw the defeat of Long candidate Carlos Spaht, and the election of Robert F. Kennon as governor.

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.

A primary election is the process by which voters, either the general public or members of a political party, can indicate their preference for a candidate in an upcoming general election or by-election, thus narrowing the field of candidates.

Carlos Gustave Spaht, I, was a Louisiana judge best remembered for having lost the Democratic gubernatorial runoff election in January 1952 to fellow Judge Robert F. Kennon of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. Spaht's unsuccessful running mate for lieutenant governor was future Governor John J. McKeithen of Columbia, the seat of Caldwell Parish in north Louisiana. McKeithen lost to then State Senator C.E. "Cap" Barham of Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish, also in north Louisiana. At the time, McKeithen was an outgoing member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

In the low-turnout general election held on April 22, 1952, Kennon defeated Harrison Bagwell, a Baton Rouge lawyer and only the second Louisiana Republican gubernatorial nominee since Reconstruction. Kennon received 118,723 votes (96 percent) to Bagwell's 4,958 votes (4 percent). [1]

A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.

Harrison Garey Bagwell Sr., was an attorney and politician in his native Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is notable as the Republican nominee for governor of Louisiana in 1952; he was only the second Republican to have sought the governorship of Louisiana since 1924.

Results

First Democratic Party Primary, January 15

CandidateVotes receivedPercent
Carlos Spaht 173,987 22.84%
Robert F. Kennon 163,434 21.46%
Hale Boggs 142,542 18.71%
James M. McLemore 116,405 15.28%
William J. "Bill" Dodd 90,92511.94%
Dudley J. LeBlanc 62,906 8.26%
Kermit Parker 5,470 0.72%
Lucille May Grace 4,832 0.63%
Cliff Liles 1,2330.16%
Total761,734

Second Democratic Party Primary, February 19

CandidateVotes receivedPercent
Robert F. Kennon 482,302 61.44%
Carlos Spaht 302,743 38.56%
Total785,045
Preceded by
1948 gubernatorial election
Louisiana gubernatorial elections Succeeded by
1956 gubernatorial election

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References

  1. Michael J. Dubin. United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1932-1952: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company. pp. 103–104. ISBN   978-0-7864-7034-1 . Retrieved January 6, 2015.

Sources

Louisiana Secretary of State. Democratic Primary Election Returns, 1952.