Like most Southern states between Reconstruction and the civil rights era, Louisiana's Republican Party was virtually nonexistent in terms of electoral support.

Incumbent mayor deLesseps Morrison was backed by labor unions, the major newspapers, and black New Orleanians, but he also publicly maintained his support for segregation on the campaign trail.

After an unsuccessful search for a candidate that briefly included former mayor Robert Maestri, the RDO threw its support behind Charles C. Zatarain, a local businessman and member of the Louisiana Tax Commission.

Another minor candidate, Alvin A. Cobb, ran on an explicit Dixiecrat platform that included racial attacks on Morrison's policies.

In the first primary, Morrison won an overwhelming majority over Zatarain, receiving 65% of the vote and winning every one of the city's 17 wards.