2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election

2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election

← 2011 October 24, 2015 (first round)
November 21, 2015 (runoff)
2019 →
Turnout39.2% Decrease (first round)
40.2% Increase (runoff)
 
Nominee John Bel Edwards David Vitter
Party Democratic Republican
First round 444,517
39.89%
256,300
23.00%
Runoff 646,924
56.11%
505,940
43.89%

 
Candidate Scott Angelle Jay Dardenne
Party Republican Republican
First round 214,982
19.29%
166,656
14.96%
Runoff Eliminated Eliminated

Edwards:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%     >90%
Vitter:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Angelle:      30–40%      60–70%
Other:      Tie      No Data

Governor before election

Bobby Jindal
Republican

Elected Governor

John Bel Edwards
Democratic

The 2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on November 21, 2015, to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Republican governor Bobby Jindal was not eligible to run for re-election to a third term because of term limits established by the Louisiana Constitution.

Under Louisiana's jungle primary system, all candidates appeared on the same ballot, regardless of party and voters may vote for any candidate regardless of their party affiliation. As no candidate received a majority of the vote during the primary election on October 24, 2015, a runoff election was held on November 21, 2015, between the top two candidates in the primary. Louisiana is the only state that has a jungle primary system (California and Washington have a similar "top two primary" system).

The runoff election featured Democrat John Bel Edwards, Minority Leader of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and Republican U.S. senator David Vitter, as they were the top two vote getters in the primary. Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, both Republicans, were eliminated in the jungle primary.

In the runoff, which was held November 21, 2015, Edwards defeated Vitter by a count of 56.11% to 43.89% and was sworn in on January 11, 2016.[1][2] Edwards became the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Louisiana since Mary Landrieu won her third term in the U.S. Senate in 2008; his victory also came one year after national wins for the Republican Party in congressional and state elections. The election was one of the most expensive in state history, with over $50 million spent by candidates and outside groups.[3]

  1. ^ "John Bel Edwards Wins Louisiana Gubernatorial Election". The Huffington Post. ASSOCIATED PRESS. November 22, 2015.
  2. ^ "John Bel Edwards". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "$50M spent on Louisiana governor race, campaign records show". thenewsstar.com. Retrieved January 22, 2016.