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===The aborted senatorial campaign of 1990===

===The aborted senatorial campaign of 1990===

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Bagert was the official Republican Party choice to challenge Democratic Senator J. Bennett Johnston in the 1990 primary. At the state convention held in New Orleans on January 13, 1990, Bagert received 451 of the 792 delegate votes cast. Far behind were state Representative Quentin Dastugue and Louisiana Secretary of State Walter Fox McKeithen] (1946-2005)], whose father, former Governor [[John J. McKeithen]] had unsuccessfully challenged Johnston in 1972 as an [[Independent]]. Dastugue and McKeithen did not proceed to the primary, but a third candidate who failed at the convention continued forward.<ref>"GOP selects Bagert to challenge Johnston," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' January 16, 1990, p. 4.</ref>​

Bagert was the official Republican Party choice to challenge Democratic Senator J. Bennett Johnston in the 1990 primary. At the state convention held in New Orleans on January 13, 1990, Bagert received 451 of the 792 delegate votes cast. Far behind were state Representative Quentin Dastugue and Louisiana Secretary of State Walter Fox McKeithen (1946-2005), whose father, former Governor [[John J. McKeithen]] had unsuccessfully challenged Johnston in 1972 as an [[Independent]]. Dastugue and McKeithen did not proceed to the primary, but a third candidate who failed at the convention continued forward.<ref>"GOP selects Bagert to challenge Johnston," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' January 16, 1990, p. 4.</ref>​

In fact, State Representative David Duke ran far ahead of  Bagert in the primary process, having procured the support of many traditionally Democratic blue collar voters. Virginia Republican and [[Iran-Contra]] figure [[Oliver North]] campaigned for Bagert, four years before North would make his own unsuccessful race against Senator Charles Robb, a son-in-law of [[U.S. President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].​

In fact, State Representative David Duke ran far ahead of  Bagert in the primary process, having procured the support of many traditionally Democratic blue collar voters. Virginia Republican and [[Iran-Contra]] figure [[Oliver North]] campaigned for Bagert, four years before North would make his own unsuccessful race against Senator Charles Robb, a son-in-law of [[U.S. President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].​

In his campaign Bagert called Johnston "a bungling, milquetoast liberal"<ref>"Can Johnston be beaten?," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' November 19, 1989, p. 1.</ref> and "aloof and out of touch" with Louisiana voters. Bagert accused Johnston of having had little interest in the state's oil and gas industries but partial to large utility holdings and nuclear energy developers. Johnston's vote for the[windfall profits tax "hurt the independent oil producers in our state," declared Bagert.<ref>Joey White, "Bagert 'pulls no punches' on campaign trail," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' February 22, 1990, p. 1.</ref>​

In his campaign Bagert called Johnston "a bungling, milquetoast liberal"<ref>"Can Johnston be beaten?," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' November 19, 1989, p. 1.</ref> and "aloof and out of touch" with Louisiana voters. Bagert accused Johnston of having had little interest in the state's oil and gas industries but partial to large utility holdings and nuclear energy developers. Johnston's vote for the[windfall profits tax "hurt the independent oil producers in our state," declared Bagert.<ref>Joey White, "Bagert 'pulls no punches' on campaign trail," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' February 22, 1990, p. 1.</ref>​

Bagert's impressive list of contributors included Governor [[David C. Treen]], the state's first Republican congressman and governor since [[Reconstruction]]; Bryan James Wagner (1943-2018), the first GOP member elected in the 20th century to the New Orleans City Council; John James Hainkel, Jr. (1938-2005), a Democrat and later Republican member of the state Senate from an Orleans-area district; party chairmen [[James  H. Boyce]] (shortly before his death) of [[Baton Rouge]], [[George Despot]] of Shreveport, Donald G. Bollinger of Lockport, and [[William A. Nungesser|William A. "Billy" Nungesser]] of New Orleans; Louis J. Roussel, Jr. (1906-2001), a businessman and financier who had bankrolled campaigns of earlier Democrats, including Edwin Edwards and [[Bill Dodd|William J. "Bill" Dodd]]; future U.S. Senator [[David Vitter]] of Metairie in Jefferson Parish, the late "Cajun" humorist, chef, and former Democrat Justin Wilson (1914-2001); Dalton Woods, a Shreveport oilman and friend of President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]; state Representative [[E. Clark Gaudin]] of Baton Rouge, New Orleans businessman James A. Noe, Jr., son of a former Democratic governor; future U.S. Senate candidate Suzanne Haik Terrell, another former member of the New Orleans City Council; former state Senator Bob Jones, a stockbroker from Lake Charles, and even a [[Texas]]-Louisiana businessman, [[Albert Bel Fay]], who had once been the Republican national committeeman from Texas​.

Bagert's impressive list of contributors included Governor [[David C. Treen]], the state's first Republican congressman and governor since [[Reconstruction]]; Bryan James Wagner (1943-2018), the first GOP member elected in the 20th century to the New Orleans City Council; John James Hainkel, Jr. (1938-2005), a Democrat and later Republican member of the state Senate from an Orleans-area district; party chairmen [[James  H. Boyce]] (shortly before his death) of [[Baton Rouge]], [[George Despot]] of Shreveport, Donald G. Bollinger of Lockport, and [[William A. Nungesser|William A. "Billy" Nungesser]] of New Orleans; [[Louis Roussel, Jr.]], a businessman and financier who had bankrolled campaigns of earlier Democrats, including Edwin Edwards and [[Bill Dodd|William J. "Bill" Dodd]]; future U.S. Senator [[David Vitter]] of Metairie in Jefferson Parish, the late "Cajun" humorist, chef, and former Democrat Justin Wilson (1914-2001); Dalton Woods, a Shreveport oilman and friend of President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]; state Representative [[E. Clark Gaudin]] of Baton Rouge, New Orleans businessman James A. Noe, Jr., son of a former Democratic governor; future U.S. Senate candidate Suzanne Haik Terrell, another former member of the New Orleans City Council; former state Senator Bob Jones, a stockbroker from Lake Charles, and even a [[Texas]]-Louisiana businessman, [[Albert Bel Fay]], who had once been the Republican national committeeman from Texas​.

Although Bagert campaigned hard, he continued to trail Duke and Johnston in the public opinion polls. Days before the primary, U.S. Senators [[John  Danforth]] of [[Missouri]], [[Ted Stevens]] of [[Alaska]], and [[Nancy Kassebaum Baker]] of [[Kansas]] announced that they were "supporting" their Democratic colleague Johnston. At first, Bagert denounced Republicans who questioned his ability to win the race: "I wasn't [politically] dead; it's a mistake they made."<ref>"Johnston wins GOP endorsements," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' October 4, 1990, p. 1.</ref> But when it became clear to Bagert that by continuing the battle he would improve Duke's chances, he withdrew so that a runoff election between Duke and Johnston could have been avoided. Many of Bagert's campaign advisers urged him to remain in the race to protect his political viability. Of his withdrawal, Bagert said, "I do not want my footnote in history to read: 'His persistence led to the election of a man who tarnished American conservatism for many years.'"​

Although Bagert campaigned hard, he continued to trail Duke and Johnston in the public opinion polls. Days before the primary, U.S. Senators [[John  Danforth]] of [[Missouri]], [[Ted Stevens]] of [[Alaska]], and [[Nancy Kassebaum Baker]] of [[Kansas]] announced that they were "supporting" their Democratic colleague Johnston. At first, Bagert denounced Republicans who questioned his ability to win the race: "I wasn't [politically] dead; it's a mistake they made."<ref>"Johnston wins GOP endorsements," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' October 4, 1990, p. 1.</ref> But when it became clear to Bagert that by continuing the battle he would improve Duke's chances, he withdrew so that a runoff election between Duke and Johnston could have been avoided. Many of Bagert's campaign advisers urged him to remain in the race to protect his political viability. Of his withdrawal, Bagert said, "I do not want my footnote in history to read: 'His persistence led to the election of a man who tarnished American conservatism for many years.'"​