Claude B. Duval - Lieutenant Governor Campaign

Lieutenant Governor Campaign

In 1963, Duval ran for lieutenant governor on the intraparty "ticket" of former New Orleans Mayor (and also former Ambassador to the Organization of American States) deLesseps Story Morrison, Sr. He was presumably the "conservative" balance to the more "moderate" Morrison. In his own race, Duval was pitted against his St. Mary Parish neighbor and the sitting lieutenant governor, Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock, who agreed with Duval on many issues. Aycock was informally paired with John Julian McKeithen in the Democratic runoff though he was actually an independent candidate who made no alliance with any gubernatorial candidate that year. Aycock had the advantage in experience and name recognition.

There was little evidence of "ticket-splitting," where Morrison supporters backed Aycock, or where McKeithen backers chose Duval. In retrospect, all four men had far more in common than otherwise. Duval in fact was arguably as conservative as Aycock, but in central and north Louisiana, voters perceived Duval unfavorably as a Morrison lieutenant. Other candidates on the Morrison slate were Jack M. Dyer of Baton Rouge for insurance commissioner and Raymond Laborde of Marksville for custodian of voting machines. In 1968, when Duval entered the state Senate, Lieutenant Governor Aycock, presiding officer of the Senate, had begun his third term in the second-highest state office.