In the 1964 presidential election, Louisiana was one of five states formerly part of the Democrats’ “solid South” that supported Republican Barry Goldwater, following the Democrats’ embrace of the Civil Rights Act that Goldwater opposed.
However, as most of the South turned just as solidly for the GOP, Louisiana took its time joining the party. But when the shift happened, it happened quickly.
As recently as 2005, Democrats held every state-level elected post. But also in 2005, David Vitter took office as the state’s first Republican U.S. senator since the Reconstruction era, and Vitter would go on to be one of the key architects of the coming Republican dominance. He played a lead role in creating the Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority, raising money for candidates throughout the state and helping the GOP win control of both houses.
The nadir for the Democrats may have been 2011. Democrats had just spent four years getting pummeled by Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal and his allies in the Legislature, where the GOP held solid majorities in both chambers. And in that year’s election cycle, Democrats barely even contested the statewide offices, allowing Jindal to win reelection with nearly 66% of the vote against token opposition.
Read the full story about how Louisiana politics have changed, in the 40th anniversary edition of Business Report. Send comets to editor@businessreport.com.
