The election received national and international attention due to the unexpectedly strong showing of David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, who had ties to other white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups.

Blanco, who came from Acadiana, could have complicated Edwards' bid for a fourth term but after 100 days she suddenly withdrew and ran for Public Service Commissioner again.

After failing to get the Louisiana Republicans' endorsement convention canceled, Roemer announced he would skip the event.

The convention, as expected, endorsed U.S. Representative Clyde C. Holloway, the favored candidate of the anti-abortion forces in the state, with whom Roemer was at odds at the time.

Roemer was wounded by his mistakes as governor, while Edwards and Duke each had a passionate core group of supporters.

One of the contributing factors to his defeat was a last-minute advertising barrage by Marine Shale owner Jack Kent; Marine Shale had been targeted by the Roemer administration as a polluter, and Kent spent $500,000 of his own money in the closing days of the campaign to purchase anti-Roemer commercials.

"[6][7][8] The runoff debate, held on November 6, 1991, received significant attention when reporter Norman Robinson questioned Duke.

Jason Berry of the Los Angeles Times called it "startling TV" and the "catalyst" for the "overwhelming" turnout of black voters that helped former Governor Edwin Edwards defeat Duke.

[9] Runoff, November 16 Edwards' large victory was credited to his almost unanimous support from black voters, who had a turnout of 80%.