The 1972 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on February 1, 1972. Edwin Edwards defeated Republican candidate David Treen to become Governor of Louisiana.
Party primaries were held on November 6, 1971, and a run-off was held for the Democratic nomination on December 18, 1971. These were the last closed primaries for Governor of Louisiana before the state adopted its current primary election system.
This was also the last gubernatorial election not to take place in an off-year, as all elections starting from 1975 would take place 1 year before a presidential election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Taddy Aycock, Lieutenant Governor
Samuel Bell Sr. Harold Lee Bethune II David L. Chandler Huey P. Coleman Jimmie Davis, former Governor from 1944 to 1948 and 1960 to 1964 Edwin Edwards, U.S. Representative from Crowley J. Bennett Johnston, State Senator from Shreveport Gillis Long, former U.S. Representative from Alexandria Speedy Long, U.S. Representative from LaSalle Parish Warren J. "Puggy" Moity James Moore Frank T. Salter Jr. John G. Schwegman, grocery store magnate and State Senator from Metairie Jimmy Strain, pediatrician and State Representative from Shreveport Addison Roswell Thompson, perennial candidate and white supremacist
Campaign
Early in the campaign, conventional wisdom of many political analysts predicted that the race's top candidates would be Gillis Long, Jimmie Davis, and C.C. "Taddy" Aycock. However, the two candidates to make the runoff, Edwin Edwards and J. Bennett Johnston, were relative newcomers to the Louisiana political scene, despite Edwards' Congressional tenure.
Cousins Gillis and Speedy Long both ran in a rematch of their 1964 primary race for Congress when Speedy unseated Gillis. Ironically, Gillis reclaimed that House seat the next year when Speedy retired after Edwards and the Louisiana Legislature redistricted him into the same district as longtime incumbent Otto Passman.