1977 New Orleans mayoral election

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 1977 New Orleans Mayoral Election

| country = New Orleans

| type = Presidential

| previous_election = 1973 New Orleans mayoral election

| previous_year = 1973

| election_date = October 1, 1977 (first round)
November 12, 1977 (runoff)

| next_election = 1982 New Orleans mayoral election

| next_year = 1982

| 1blank = First round

| 2blank = Runoff

| image1 = x165px

| candidate1 = Ernest Morial

| party1 = Democratic Party (United States)

| 1data1 = 41,182
26.63%

| 2data1 = 90,539
51.78%

| image2 = x160px

| candidate2 = Joe DiRosa

| party2 =

| 1data2 = 36,862
23.84%

| 2data2 = 84,325
48.22%

| image4 =

| candidate4 = Nat Kiefer

| party4 =

| 1data4 = 36,597
23.67%

| 2data4 = Eliminated

| image5 =

| candidate5 = Toni Morrison

| party5 = Democratic Party (United States)

| 1data5 = 32,176
20.81%

| 2data5 = Eliminated

| title = Mayor

| before_election = Moon Landrieu

| before_party = Democratic Party (United States)

| after_election = Ernest Morial

| after_party = Democratic Party (United States)

| map_image =

| map_size =

| map_caption =

}}

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

class="wikitable"
\|Candidate !\|Votes received !\|%
Ernest Morial \|41,182 \|26.63%
Joe DiRosa \|36,862 \|23.84%
Nat Kiefer \|36,597 \|23.67%
DeLesseps "Toni" Morrison, Jr. \|32,176 \|20.81%
Thomas Lewis Giraud \|5,215 \|3.37%
Herbert W. Christenberry, Jr. \|1,381 \|0.89%
Joel Aber \|377 \|0.24%
Rodney Fertel \|293 \|0.19%
Cecil M. Shilstone \|191 \|0.12%
Thomas Joseph Garnier \|188 \|0.12%
George A. Aiavolasiti \|181 \|0.12%

class="wikitable"

|Candidate

!|Votes received

!|%

Ernest Morial

|41,182

|26.63%

Joe DiRosa

|36,862

|23.84%

Nat Kiefer

|36,597