His great-great-grandfather, William Edwards, was killed in Marksville at the beginning of the American Civil War because of his pro-Union sentiment
As the 1991 governor's race drew near, many of Edwards' friends encouraged him to abandon his planned comeback, believing he had no chance of winning. After Edwards' loss in 1987, journalist Lanny Keller wrote that the only way Edwin Edwards could ever be elected again was to run against Adolf Hitler. Edwards's runoff opponent would be former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke.
The runoff between an avowed white supremacist and a suspected felon gained national attention. The Louisiana Coalition against Racism and Nazism was formed to challenge Duke, with its leadership including longtime Treen supporter Beth Rickey, a member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee from New Orleans. The coalition revealed through a recording of Duke at a White Nationalist conference that he was still involved in Ku Klux Klan activities.
Edwards found himself receiving endorsements from notable Republican politicians including Treen, Roemer, and even president George H. W. Bush. A popular bumper sticker urging support for Edwards read "Vote For the Crook. It's Important." Another read "Vote for the Lizard, not the Wizard."
Edwards said of Duke that "the only thing we have in common is that we both have been wizards beneath the sheets" and feigned concern for Duke's health due to smoke inhalation "because he's around so many burning crosses". When a reporter asked Edwards what he needed to do to triumph over Duke, Edwards replied "stay alive". On election day, Edwards defeated Duke in a landslide, 61 to 39 percent, a margin of nearly 400,000 votes.