1962 United States Senate election in Louisiana
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 Parish results Long: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Maloney: 50-60% 60-70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Louisiana |
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 Government |
The 1962 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 6, 1962. Incumbent
On August 17, Long won the Democratic primary with 80.15% of the vote.
Long won the general election against Shreveport attorney Taylor W. O'Hearn, who staged a rare bid for statewide office on the
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Russell Long, incumbent Senator
- Philemon St. Amant, retired Lieutenant Colonel from Baton Rouge
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Russell Long (incumbent)
|
407,162 | 80.15% | |
| Democratic | Philemon St. Amant | 100,843 | 19.85% | |
| Total votes | 508,005 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Campaign
Taylor O'Hearn, a segregationist Democrat from
O'Hearn charged that Long was practicing "the same old pork barrel. He's promising everybody everything with their own money." He said that Long was attempting to take credit for all political progress in the state. Long refused to debate O'Hearn, who charged that the senator "doesn't have the guts to talk to the people about campaign issues."[2] Long replied that he was "not ashamed I've fought to get things for Louisiana. I'm not ashamed to go to the White House to talk to the president to get things done for my state and its people."[2]
O'Hearn also attacked Long for his alignment with the Kennedy administration. O'Hearn also claimed that Long voted 75 percent of the time for Kennedy policies: "These bills are not just socialistic but radical!"[2]
O'Hearn particularly attacked Long and Kennedy on foreign policy. He called the failed Bay of Pigs operation a "desertion of Cuban patriots... It's odd to me that Russell Long and Jack Kennedy were the only two persons in the country who did not know about the Cuban arms buildup."[2] He claimed that the Cuban blockade against Soviet missiles was "timed perfectly with the political campaign."[2]
O'Hearn said that he opposed
Long denied O'Hearn's contention that he was automatically in lockstep with Kennedy policies. Long distanced himself on civil rights and voiced opposition to Kennedy's intervention in the
In a newspaper advertisement, Long declared himself an "Independent Thinker" who is "unalterably opposed to federal control of state education, foreign aid to Russia's satellites, unnecessary federal spending, and increased taxation." He also claimed to be a "leader in the fight to preserve our traditional southern way of life."
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Russell Long (incumbent)
|
318,838 | 75.46% |  24.54
| |
| Republican | Taylor W. O'Hearn | 103,666 | 24.54% |  24.54
| |
| Total votes | 422,504 | 100.00% | |||
O'Hearn carried seven conservative north Louisiana parishes. He polled a clear majority in Louisiana's 4th congressional district.[5]
O'Hearn fared best in his native
References
- ^ "LA US Senate – D Primary". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "O'Hearn Blasts Long's Record in Speech Before Local Group," Minden Herald, November 1, 1962, p. 1.
- ^ a b Long advertisement, Minden Herald, November 1, 1962, p. 12
- ^ "LA US Senate". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ Minden Herald, November 8, 1962, p. 1