Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 2011 was held on October 22 with 10 candidates competing in a nonpartisan blanket primary. The incumbent, Bobby Jindal
, was elected to a second term as governor of Louisiana. Since he received an outright majority of the vote in the blanket primary, a runoff election that would have occurred on November 19 was unnecessary.
, with the exception of U.S. presidential elections (and congressional
races beginning in 2008 and ending after the 2010 midterm election), follow a variation of the open primary
system called the jungle 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. This scenario occurred in the 7th District congressional
race in 1996, when Democrats Chris John
and Hunter Lundy made the runoff for the open seat, and in 1999, when Republicans Suzanne Haik Terrell
and Woody Jenkins
made the runoff for Commissioner of Elections.
, saying he would focus on his reelection and that this would make transitioning to a national campaign difficult, though he later attempted to leave himself the opportunity to change his mind in the future.
Minister Dan Northcutt (I) was the only declared challenger to Jindal, but has since dropped out of the race. On October 22, Caroline Fayard
's name surfaced on talk-radio
program Think Tank with Garland Robinette
, as a potential competitor for Jindal in his reelection campaign. The discussants cited Jindal's high approval rating
s and already in-the-bank $7 million campaign fund
as unapproachable assets for Democrats other than Fayard, who at the time of the program was seeking the office of lieutenant governor in a special election
runoff against Republican
secretary of state Jay Dardenne
.
Information
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, was elected to a second term as governor of Louisiana. Since he received an outright majority of the vote in the blanket primary, a runoff election that would have occurred on November 19 was unnecessary.
Background
Elections in LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, with the exception of U.S. presidential elections (and congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
races beginning in 2008 and ending after the 2010 midterm election), follow a variation of the open primary
Open primary
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted...
system called the jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
. 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. This scenario occurred in the 7th District congressional
Louisiana's 7th congressional district
Louisiana's 7th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana located in the southwestern part of the state. It contains the cities of Crowley, Eunice, Jennings, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Opelousas, Sulphur and Ville Platte....
race in 1996, when Democrats Chris John
Chris John
Christopher Charles "Chris" John is American politician who was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2005, representing Louisiana's 7th congressional district.-Early life:...
and Hunter Lundy made the runoff for the open seat, and in 1999, when Republicans Suzanne Haik Terrell
Suzanne Haik Terrell
Suzanne Haik Terrell is a Louisiana lawyer who failed in a high-profile Republican bid for the U.S. Senate in 2002 and for state attorney general in 2003. She was the state's last commissioner of elections, having served from 2000 to 2004. In 2005, President George W...
and Woody Jenkins
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972–2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate....
made the runoff for Commissioner of Elections.
Candidates
On December 10, 2008, Jindal indicated that he would not run for president in 2012United States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
, saying he would focus on his reelection and that this would make transitioning to a national campaign difficult, though he later attempted to leave himself the opportunity to change his mind in the future.
Minister Dan Northcutt (I) was the only declared challenger to Jindal, but has since dropped out of the race. On October 22, Caroline Fayard
Caroline Fayard
Cathryn Caroline Fayard , daughter of Cynthia Felder Fayard and Calvin Clifford Fayard, Jr., of Springfield, Louisiana, is a Democrat who sought the office of lieutenant governor of Louisiana in the 2010 elections....
's name surfaced on talk-radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
program Think Tank with Garland Robinette
Garland Robinette
Garland Robinette is a journalist in the New Orleans area. He currently is host of "The Think Tank" on New Orleans radio station WWL ....
, as a potential competitor for Jindal in his reelection campaign. The discussants cited Jindal's high approval rating
Approval rating
In the United States, presidential job approval ratings were introduced by George Gallup in the late 1930s to gauge public support for the President of the United States during his term. An approval rating is a percentage determined by a polling which indicates the percentage of respondents to an...
s and already in-the-bank $7 million campaign fund
Campaign finance in the United States
Campaign finance in the United States is the financing of electoral campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels.At the federal level, the primary source of campaign funds is individuals; political action committees are a distant second. Contributions from both are limited, and direct...
as unapproachable assets for Democrats other than Fayard, who at the time of the program was seeking the office of lieutenant governor in a special election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
runoff against Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
secretary of state Jay Dardenne
Jay Dardenne
John Leigh "Jay" Dardenne, Jr. , has been Louisiana's Republican lieutenant governor since November 22, 2010. He won a special election to the position held in conjunction with the regular November 2 general election. At the time, Dardenne was Louisiana secretary of state...
.
Republicans
- Bobby JindalBobby JindalPiyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, incumbent Governor of Louisiana (since 2008); former U.S. Representative (2005–2008)
Announced
- Cary Deaton, lawyer from MetairieMetairie, LouisianaMetairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
- Tara Hollis, special education teacher from HaynesvilleHaynesville, LouisianaHaynesville is a town in northern Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States, located just south of the Arkansas border. The population was 2,679 at the 2000 census....
- Androniki "Niki Bird" Papazoglakis, director for Baton RougeBaton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
-based victim advocacy group - Ivo "Trey" Roberts, high school teacher
Declined
- Al AterAl AterAlan Ray Ater , known as Al Ater, is a farmer and businessman from Ferriday, Louisiana, who served from 1984-1992 as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 21 in the eastern portion of his state....
, former Louisiana secretary of state - Kathleen BlancoKathleen BlancoKathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
, former governor - Edwin EdwardsEdwin EdwardsEdwin Washington Edwards served as the Governor of Louisiana for four terms , twice as many terms as any other Louisiana chief executive has served. Edwards was also Louisiana's first Roman Catholic governor in the 20th century...
, former governor - Caroline FayardCaroline FayardCathryn Caroline Fayard , daughter of Cynthia Felder Fayard and Calvin Clifford Fayard, Jr., of Springfield, Louisiana, is a Democrat who sought the office of lieutenant governor of Louisiana in the 2010 elections....
, attorney and 2010 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Louisiana - John GeorgesJohn GeorgesJohn Georges is a New Orleans, Louisiana, businessman who formerly served on the Louisiana Board of Regents, the body which supervises higher education in his native state....
, businessman, 2007 Independent candidate for governor, unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of New Orleans in 2010New Orleans mayoral election, 2010The New Orleans mayoral election of 2010 is an election for Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana. The first round of voting took place on December 9 through December 11, 2009, and the election occurred on February 6, 2010... - Robert M. MarionneauxRobert M. MarionneauxRobert Mark Marionneaux, Jr., also known as Rob Marrionneaux , is an attorney in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who has served since 1996 as a Democrat in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature...
, state senator
Independents
- David Blanchard, former employee of the Louisiana Department of Health and HospitalsLouisiana Department of Health and HospitalsThe Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is a state agency of Louisiana, headquartered in Baton Rouge. The agency oversees the health of the population.-External links:*...
- Leonard "Lenny" Bollingham, Computer Engineer & Businessman
- Ron Caesar
- William Robert "Bob" Lang, unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2010The 2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 2, 2010. Republican incumbent U.S. Senator David Vitter won re-election to a second term.-Background:* Party primaries: Saturday, August 28, 2010...
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
David Blanchard (I) |
Lenny Bollingham (I) |
Ron Caesar (I) |
Cary Deaton (D) |
Tara Hollis (D) |
Bobby Jindal (R) |
Bob Lang (I) |
Scott Lewis (L) |
Niki Bird Papazoglakis (D) |
Trey Roberts (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarus Research Group/WWL-TV | - | 602 | ± 4.0% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 5% | 57% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 29% |
Results
See also
- United States gubernatorial elections, 2011United States gubernatorial elections, 2011The United States gubernatorial elections of 2011 were held in the states of Louisiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi. These elections were part of the General election of 2011. In addition, a Special Gubernatorial Election for West Virginia was held on October 4...
- Governors of Louisiana
External links
CandidatesInformation
- Elections Division at the Louisiana Secretary of State
- Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2011 at BallotpediaBallotpediaBallotpedia is a wiki-style website billed as "an interactive almanac of state politics". InfoWorld has called it one of the "Top 20 Election Day Web sites and online tools".-Purpose:...
- Louisiana Governor Candidates at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Campaign contributions for 2011 Louisiana Governor from Follow the Money
- Louisiana Governor 2011 from OurCampaigns.com