Huey Long, or more popularly known as the "Kingfish," was a powerful and controversial Louisiana politician. Born into a modest background in the Louisiana country, Long's ambition to work hard led him onto a long road of political endeavors. Even "as a child, his friends and relatives noticed, he was markedly unlike the boys around him (12)." After Long earned a law degree, he entered politics and utilized the popular discontentment for the unresponsive government in Louisiana in an attempt to gain public support behind his election as Governor in 1928. He reinforced his hold upon the middle and lower classes by expanding social services, building better roads, hospitals, schools, and by transferring the tax burden to the wealthy. .
Huey Long's campaigning style, with its innovative use of mailed circulars, automobile stumping, radio speeches, and sound trucks, was designed precisely to appeal to that part of the population that was not sitting in the halls and offices of power. Long knew what appealed to them, in part because he was one of them. Long would do just about anything to get people's votes, except lie to them about what he would do. Long owned Louisiana because the people of Louisiana had given it to him, and they had done that because he told them in no uncertain terms what he was going to do with it. This directness and honesty set Long apart from his predecessors.
"To his supporters, Long was presenting himself as a champion of the common man, working selflessly to help a popular President fulfill his campaign promises. To the Administration, however, he was beginning to seem a shrewd and dangerous foe (62)." Huey Long broke with President Roosevelt when it became clear that the President was not advancing on the plan to redistribute wealth. .
Huey Long had several complaints regarding the various acts and bills that Roosevelt introduced with the New Deal. For example, Long claimed that the Banking Act was aimed at aiding large financial institutions and did not include government funds to aid small, local banks.
