Editing Huey Long (section)

===1924 election===
{{Main|1924 Louisiana gubernatorial election}}
[[File:Huey Long 1924 run.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Card sporting Long's face surrounded by the text "Give the people a governor, Huey P. Long"|Card for Long's 1924 gubernatorial campaign]]
On August 30, 1923, Long announced his candidacy for the governorship of Louisiana.<ref name="heritage"/> Long [[Stump speech|stumped]] throughout the state, personally distributing circulars and posters. He denounced Governor Parker as a corporate stooge, vilified Standard Oil, and assailed local political bosses.<ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 19">[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], p. 19.</ref>

He campaigned in rural areas disenfranchised by the state's political establishment, the "[[Regular Democratic Organization|Old Regulars]]". Since the 1877 end of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-controlled [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction government]], they had controlled most of the state through alliances with local officials.<ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 19"/><ref name="Kane2930"/> With negligible support for Republicans, Louisiana was essentially a one party state under the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] Old Regulars. Holding mock elections in which they invoked the [[Lost Cause of the Confederacy]], the Old Regulars presided over a corrupt government that largely benefited the [[planter class]].<ref name="Kane2930">[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], pp. 29–30.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Haas|first=Edward F.|date=Winter 1998|title=Political Continuity in the Crescent City: Toward an Interpretation of New Orleans Politics, 1874–1986|journal=Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association|volume=39|issue=1|pages=6|jstor=4233468}}</ref> Consequently, Louisiana was one of the least developed states: It had just 300 miles of paved roads and the lowest literacy rate.<ref>[[#Long1|Long (1933)]], p. xvi.</ref><ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], p. 30.</ref>

Despite an enthusiastic campaign, Long came third in the primary and was eliminated.<ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 19"/> Although polls projected only a few thousand votes, he attracted almost 72,000, around 31% of the electorate, and carried 28 parishes—more than either opponent. Limited to sectional appeal, he performed best in the poor rural north.<ref name="heritage"/><ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 19"/>

The [[Ku Klux Klan]]'s prominence in Louisiana was the campaign's primary issue. While the two other candidates either strongly opposed or supported the Klan, Long remained neutral, alienating both sides. He also failed to attract  [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] voters, which limited his chances in the south of the state. In majority Catholic New Orleans, he polled just 12,000 votes (17%).<ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 19"/> Long blamed heavy rain on election day for suppressing voter turnout among his base in the north, where voters could not reach the polls over dirt roads that had turned to mud.<ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 19"/><ref>[[#Harris|Harris (1938)]], p. 28.</ref> It was the only election Long ever lost.<ref>{{cite news |last=Scott|first=Mike|date=May 19, 2017|title=Huey P. Long's first (and last) election loss|url=https://www.nola.com/300/article_44bd23d6-e7b4-59e5-af96-77f201631ab3.html|work=[[The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate|The Times-Picayune]]|access-date=July 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031012512/https://www.nola.com/300/article_44bd23d6-e7b4-59e5-af96-77f201631ab3.html|archive-date=October 31, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>