1977 New Orleans mayoral election

1977 New Orleans Mayoral Election

← 1973 October 1, 1977 (1977-10-01) and November 12, 1977 (1977-11-12) 1982 →

Candidate Ernest Morial Joe DiRosa Nat Kiefer Party Democratic First-round vote 41,182 36,862 36,597 First-round percentage 26.63% 23.84% 23.67% Second-round vote 90,539 84,325 Second-round percentage 51.78% 48.22%   Candidate Toni Morrison Party Democratic First-round vote 32,176 First-round percentage 20.81%

Mayor before election Moon Landrieu Democratic Elected Mayor Ernest Morial Democratic

Elections in Louisiana
Federal government Presidential elections 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Republican 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 U.S. Senate elections 1812 1813 1813 sp 1817 1818 1818 sp 1819 1823 1824 1824 sp 1825 1829 1831 1831 sp 1833 sp 1835 1836 sp 1837 1837 sp 1840 1843 1844 sp 1847 1847 sp 1848 1852 1853 1853 sp 1859 1868 1876 1876 sp 1879 1882 1889 1891 1894 1894 sp 1896 1900 1904 1908 1910 sp 1912 1914 1918 1918 sp 1920 1924 1926 1930 1932 1936 1936 sp 1938 1942 1944 1948 1948 sp 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1812 1814 1816 1818 AL sp 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1830 1832 1834 1st sp 3rd sp 1836 1838 1840 3rd sp 1843 1844 4th sp 1847 1849 1850 2nd sp 3rd sp 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 1868 1870 1872 4th sp 1873 4th sp 1874 1876 1878 5th sp 1880 1882 1884 1886 2nd sp 1887 6th sp 1888 1889 3rd sp 1890 1892 1894 4th sp 1896 5th sp 1898 1899 5th sp 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1st sp 1909 2nd sp 1910 2nd sp 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 2nd sp 1926 1927 7th sp 1928 1929 3rd sp 1930 1931 8th sp 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 3rd sp 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1961 4th sp 1962 1964 4th sp 1965 7th sp 1966 1968 1970 1972 7th sp 1973 2nd sp 1974 1975 6th sp 1976 1977 1st sp 1978 1980 3rd sp 1982 1984 1985 8th sp 1986 1988 4th sp 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 1999 1st sp 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 1st sp 6th sp 2010 2012 2013 5th sp 2014 2016 2018 2020 2021 2nd sp 5th sp 2022
State government General elections 2007 2010 2011 2015 2019 2020 Gubernatorial elections 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1830 sp 1834 1838 1842 1846 1849 1852 1855 1859 1863 (C) 1864 (U) 1865 1868 1872 1876 1879 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Lieutenant gubernatorial elections 2015 2019 Attorney General elections 2011 2015 2019 Treasurer elections 2017 sp Senate elections 2019
Ballot measures 2004 Amendment 1
Baton Rouge Mayoral elections 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
New Orleans Mayoral elections 1866 1930 1934 1946 1950 1958 1962 1965 1969 1973 1977 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2017 2021 City Council elections 2006 2010
Shreveport Mayoral elections 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
Government
v t

The New Orleans mayoral election of 1977 resulted in the election of Ernest Morial as the first African-American mayor of New Orleans.

Background[]

Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system. Candidates of any and all parties are listed on one ballot; voters need not limit themselves to the candidates of one party. Unless one candidate takes more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a run-off election is then held between the top two candidates, who may in fact be members of the same party. In this election, the first round of voting was held on October 1, 1977, and the runoff was held on November 12.

The 1977 municipal elections were the first under Louisiana's open primary law signed by Governor Edwin Edwards two years earlier.

Under the New Orleans City Charter adopted by voters in 1954, Incumbent mayor Moon Landrieu was term-limited.

Results[]

Primary, October 1
A total of 154,643 votes were cast

Runoff, November 12

Sources[]

• Board of Supervisors of Elections for the Parish of Orleans. Election Returns of Orleans Parish, 1977.