Southern Democrats - Notable Modern and Former Southern Democrats

Notable Modern and Former Southern Democrats

• Huey P. Long, former Louisiana governor and former U.S. Senator
• Earl Long, former three-term Louisiana governor Paul Newman played him in the movie Blaze regarding the life of Blaze Starr
• Lloyd Bentsen, former Representative and former U.S. Senator from Texas, former Secretary of the Treasury, and Democratic candidate for Vice President in 1988
• Jefferson Davis, former Representative and former U.S. Senator from Mississippi, President of Confederacy
• James O. Eastland, former U.S. Senator from Mississippi
• John R. Edwards, former U.S. Senator from North Carolina, 2004 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 and 2008.
• D. Robert Graham, former U.S. Senator from Florida and former Governor of Florida
• Richard Russell, former Georgia governor and former U.S. Senator from Georgia
• Lawton Chiles, former U.S. Senator from Florida and former Governor of Florida
• Estes Kefauver, former Representative, former U.S. Senator from Tennessee and 1956 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee
• Lyndon B. Johnson, former U.S. Representative and former Senator from Texas, Vice President of the United States (1961–1963), and President of the United States (1963–1969)
• Jimmy Carter, former Governor of Georgia and President of the United States (1977–1981)
• Bill Clinton, former Governor of Arkansas and President of the United States (1993–2001)
• Al Gore, former Representative and former U.S. Senator from Tennessee, Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) and 2000 Democratic nominee for President
• Paul Patton, former Governor of Kentucky
• J. William Fulbright, former Representative from Arkansas, former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and longest-served chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
• Sam Rayburn, former Congressman from Texas and longest-served Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives-longest served in the House's history
• Sam Nunn, former U.S. Senator from Georgia
• Max Cleland, former U.S. Senator from Georgia
• James Hovis Hodges, former Governor of South Carolina
• Fritz Hollings, former U.S. Senator from South Carolina, former Governor of South Carolina, 1984 U.S. Presidential candidate
• Olin D. Johnston, former U.S. Senator from South Carolina and former Governor of South Carolina
• James F. Byrnes, former U.S. Secretary of State, former Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, former Representative, former U.S. Senator, former Governor of South Carolina
• John Stennis, former U.S. Senator from Mississippi
• John McClellan, former Representative and former U.S. Senator from Arkansas
• Spessard Holland, former U.S. Senator from Florida and former Governor of Florida
• Reubin Askew, former Governor of Florida and 1984 U.S. Presidential candidate
• Phil Bredesen, former Governor of Tennessee
• Kathleen Blanco, former Governor of Louisiana
• Roy Barnes, former Governor of Georgia
• Blanche Lincoln, former Representative and former U.S. Senator from Arkansas
• Mark Pryor, current U.S. Senator from Arkansas
• David Pryor, former Representative, former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and former Governor of Arkansas
• Dale Bumpers, former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and former Governor of Arkansas
• Alben Barkley, former Representative, former U.S. Senator from Kentucky and former U.S. Vice President
• Travis Childers, former U.S. representative from Mississippi
• J. Bennett Johnston, former U.S. Senator from Louisiana
• Mary Landrieu, current U.S. Senator from Louisiana
• John Breaux, former Representative and former U.S. Senator from Louisiana
• Edwin Edwards, former Representative and former Governor of Louisiana
• Zell B. Miller, former U.S. Senator from Georgia and former Georgia governor
• Terry Sanford, former U.S. Senator and former Governor from North Carolina
• Kay Hagan, current U.S. Senator from North Carolina
• Richard Shelby, former Representative, current U.S. Senator from Alabama (Democrat until 1994, now Republican)
• J. Strom Thurmond, former U.S. Senator from South Carolina and former Governor of South Carolina (Democrat until 1964, then Republican until death), States' Right candidate (Dixiecrat) for President in 1948
• Mark R. Warner, Current U.S. Senator of Virginia, former Virginia governor
• Douglas Wilder, former Virginia Governor, first African-American ever elected Governor in the U.S., tried to go for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1991, but eventually withdrew in 1992
• Ralph Yarborough, former U.S. Senator from Texas
• Sonny Perdue, former Governor of Georgia (was once a Democrat, now Republican)
• Robert Byrd, former Representative, former U.S. Senator from West Virginia, presidential candidate, 1976
• Bill Nelson, former Representative, current U.S. Senator from Florida
• Howell Heflin, former senator from Alabama
• Mike Beebe, current Governor of Arkansas
• George C. Wallace, former governor of Alabama, American Independent Party candidate for President in 1968, ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 and 1976
• Lester Maddox, former governor of Georgia
• Joseph Manchin III, former governor of West Virginia, current U.S. Senator from West Virginia, and former Southern Governors' Association chairman
• Wendell Ford, former Governor and former Senator from Kentucky
• A.B. "Happy" Chandler, former Governor and former Senator from Kentucky
• Steve Beshear, current Governor of Kentucky
• Martha Layne Collins, former Governor of Kentucky and chair of the 1984 Democratic National Convention
• Ben Chandler, former Attorney General of Kentucky and current Congressman from Kentucky
• Lawrence Patton McDonald, Former Representative from Georgia
• Tim Kaine, former Governor of Virginia and former Chairman of the DNC (now Debbie Wasserman Schultz)