Louisiana Senate Hopefuls Will Square Off in Runoff

Republican Rep. W. Henson Moore will meet Democrat Rep. John B. Breaux in a runoff in his bid to become Louisiana’s first GOP U.S. senator in more than a century.

With 3,054 of 3,245 precincts reporting, or 94%, Moore had 495,580 votes, or 45%, and Breaux 410,170, or 37%. The next nearest competitor had slightly more than 70,000 votes.

Had Moore won a majority of the vote Saturday, he automatically would have won the seat because of Louisiana’s unique nonpartisan primary system. If no candidate gets a majority, the top two finishers have a runoff on Election Day.

‘Him and Me’

“It’s going to be him and me,” said Breaux, a congressman from the little Cajun town of Crowley. “This time we’re going to start comparing records, not just bank accounts.”

Moore, a Baton Rouge congressman, enjoyed strong support from a popular Reagan Administration and was the undisputed leader. But he had said he doubted that he would be able to pull the majority of votes needed to win outright the seat held by Russell B. Long.

“He’s been challenging us for 19 months,” Moore said. “He hasn’t caught us, and he’s not going to catch us by Nov. 4.”

A record 14 candidates were vying to replace Long, the retiring patriarch of a dynasty that has dominated Louisiana politics for 60 years.

Three Democrats

They included three Democratic state officials: Senate President Sammy Nunez, a respected veteran lawmaker with strong support in his New Orleans area; Sen. J. E. Jumonville Jr., an oil field heir and racehorse breeder, and Sherman Bernard, Louisiana’s insurance commissioner.

The nine other candidates had little money to campaign with and attracted little attention.

In other races, Rep. Lindy (Mrs. Hale) Boggs, a Democrat from the New Orleans-based 2nd District, and Rep. Jerry Huckaby, a Democrat from the 5th District in northeast Louisiana, easily won reelection.