2003 Louisiana gubernatorial election
October 4, 2003 (first round)
November 15, 2003 (runoff) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Blanco: 20–30% 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Jindal: 20–30% 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Ieyoub: 20–30% 30–40% Leach: 20–30% 30–40% 50–60% Ewing: 20–30% 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Downer: 20–30% 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Louisiana |
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| Government |
The 2003 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on November 15, to elect the governor of Louisiana. Republican incumbent Mike Foster was not eligible to run for re-election to a third term because of term limits established by the Louisiana Constitution. Democratic lieutenant governor Kathleen Blanco defeated Republican health secretary Bobby Jindal.
A first-round, top-two jungle primary was held on October 4. Jindal easily won the primary with a plurality of the vote and advanced to the runoff with the support of most Republicans in the state, while Blanco advanced in the second slot by defeating Richard Ieyoub and Buddy Leach. Blanco's victory in the primary has been credited to her support from social conservatives, women, and Acadiana.
In the runoff on November 15, Blanco defeated Jindal by approximately 55 thousand votes, or four percent of the total vote.
As of 2026, this is the most recent Louisiana gubernatorial election in which the winner of the first round did not win the runoff.