Edwin Edwards - A Second Comeback: Edwards Vs. Duke, 1991

A Second Comeback: Edwards Vs. Duke, 1991

As the 1991 governor's race drew near, many of Edwards' friends encouraged him to abandon his planned comeback, believing that he had no chance to win. After Edwards' loss in 1987, a journalist for the defunct Shreveport Journal wrote that the only way Edwin Edwards could ever be elected again was to run against Adolf Hitler. These words turned out to be shockingly prophetic, since after the 1991 primary Edwards discovered his runoff opponent to be neo-Nazi David Duke. Edwards received 34 percent of the vote while Duke received 32 percent. Governor Roemer placed third, 80,000 votes behind Duke.

The runoff between an accused white supremacist and a former governor who was widely considered corrupt but was also minority-friendly, gained national attention. Support for Edwards grew in between the primary and the runoff. The interest group, the Louisiana Coalition against Racism and Nazism appeared to challenge Duke, with its leadership including the longtime Treen supporter, Beth Rickey, a member of the Republican State Central Committee from New Orleans. The coalition claimed, but never proved, that Duke was still involved in neo-Nazi activities.

Faced with the alternative of Duke, many who were otherwise lukewarm for Edwards found him looking ever better. Edwards found himself receiving endorsements from both Treen and Roemer; even Republican President Bush urged that Edwards, the Democrat, was a better choice than Duke, a putative Republican. A very popular bumper sticker urging support for Edwards (although clearly not produced by his campaign) read "Vote For the Crook. It's Important." Another read "Vote for the Lizard, not the Wizard." Edwards said that this would be his final term as governor and that he cared about leaving a good legacy, which made many hope that the corruption of his previous administrations would not be repeated. Edwards won by a wide margin. Continuing his artful use of humor to deflate an opponent, and referring to his considerable reputation as a Lothario, Edwards said of Duke, "The only thing we have in common is that we both have been wizards beneath the sheets." When a reporter asked Edwards what he needed to do to triumph over Duke, Edwards replied with a smile: "Stay alive." On Election Day, Edwards defeated Duke in a landslide, 61% to 39%, a margin of nearly 400,000 votes.