1868 Louisiana gubernatorial election
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Election results by county Warmoth: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Taliaferro: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Louisiana |
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| Government |
The 1868 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held over two days, April 17 and 18, the same days that voters were asked to ratify the new Louisiana Constitution of 1868, which established the civil rights of African Americans.
In the election, Henry Clay Warmoth was elected Governor of Louisiana over James G. Taliaferro. Warmoth's victory, which was defined by the factional divisions within the Republican Party, represented the triumph of white carpetbaggers over the free men of color who supported Taliaferro. Although both sides were united in their support of the Union and universal manhood suffrage, the native radicals and free men of color resented the carpetbaggers as "mere adventurers" seeking to build a political career at the expense of civil rights.