Jim Beam column:Don’t change governors’ terms
Published 6:19 am Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Although only two Louisiana governors have served more than two four-year terms, the state’s voters will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment on Nov. 3 that would limit governors to two lifetime terms.
This is another proposed constitutional amendment that is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Louisiana needed the-late Gov. Edwin W. Edwards in the 1991 gubernatorial election even though he had already served three terms. More on that later.
Earl Long, who was lieutenant governor at the time, became governor in 1939 when Gov. Richard Leche resigned while under federal investigation for corruption. Long was later elected to two full terms — 1948-52 and 1956-60.
Edwards served four terms — 1972-80, 1984-88 and 1992-1996.
State Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, sponsored House Bill 225 at the recent legislative session that took three votes to clear the House but only one vote to make it through the Senate.
Amendments require two-thirds votes in both chambers, 70 in the 105-member House and 26 in the 39-member Senate.
The first House vote was 67-22. The second was 67-21. The third vote was 73-25. The Senate voted only once — 28-10. Rep. Wilford Carter, D-Lake Charles, was the only member of the 13-member Southwest Louisiana delegation to vote against the bill.
The Louisiana Illuminator reported that Bayham said he supported term limits for most statewide offices but feels term limits for the governor are a priority because of the outsized power the state’s chief executive wields.
Some opponents of the legislation accused Bayham of trying to stop former Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, from running for a third term. The Illuminator said Edwards has never suggested running again and poked fun at the possibility in a social media post.
Most Louisiana governors since the state joined the Union in 1812 have served only one four-year term. Louisiana first allowed governors to serve consecutive terms through a constitutional amendment that voters approved in 1966.
The 1966 change paved the way for Gov. John J. McKeithen to become the first Louisiana governor elected to consecutive terms (1964-72). The only other two-termers since then have been Mike Foster (1996-2004), Bobby Jindal (2008-2016) and John Bel Edwards (2016-2024).
Under the current constitution, governors are restricted to serving two consecutive terms but are allowed to run again after sitting out for at least one term. This restriction limits consecutive service but places no lifetime cap on total terms served. Bayham’s bill places that lifetime limit in the constitution.
When Edwin W. Edwards withdrew from the gubernatorial runoff in 1987, giving the election to Buddy Roemer, most political veterans thought his political career was over.
Fortunately, Edwards became a candidate in the 1991 gubernatorial election. Roemer didn’t make the runoff and Edwards faced David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
The race gained national attention. Edwards got endorsements from three prominent Republicans — President George H.W. Bush, former Louisiana Gov. Dave Treen and Roemer.
Popular bumper stickers said “Vote for the Crook. It’s Important” and “Vote for the Lizard, not the Wizard.” That last one came after Edwards said of Duke that “the only thing we have in common is that we both have been wizards beneath the sheets.”
The Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism was formed to challenge Duke. The coalition revealed through a recording of Duke at a White Nationalist conference that he was still involved in Ku Klux Klan activities.
Edwards defeated Duke in a landslide, 61% to 39%, a margin of nearly 400,000 votes. The election saw a record-breaking turnout.
Edwards was dogged by corruption charges during his terms. He was found guilty of racketeering charges in 2001 and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Despite his checkered background, Edwards remained an extremely popular figure until he died. When he attended state Senate President John Alario’s retirement from the Legislature in 2019, legislators swamped him with photo requests.
Louisiana may need someone like Edwin Edwards again. Although I have never been an Edwin Edwards fan, I was happy to endorse him in 1991 when the possible election of Duke would have been a major disaster.
Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at jim.beam.press@gmail.com.