1983 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election
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The 1983 Louisiana lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 19, 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.
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October 22, 1983 (first round)
November 19, 1983 (runoff) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Parish results Freeman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Fitzmorris: 50–60% No Data: | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 22, 1983. The runoff was held on November 19, 1983.[1]
Primary election
On election day, October 22, 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 November 19.[2]
Results
| 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, November 19, 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 March 12, 1984.[3]
Results
| 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 | ||||