Foster Campbell
Foster Campbell | |
---|---|
Louisiana Senate from the 36th district | |
In office December 1976 – December 2002 | |
Preceded by | Harold Montgomery |
Succeeded by | Robert Adley |
Personal details | |
Born | Foster Lonnie Campbell Jr. January 6, 1947 Shreveport, Louisiana, US |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Paula Wright (divorced) Gwen Wilhite |
Children | 5, and 1 stepchild |
Education | Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Northwestern State University (BA) |
Foster Lonnie Campbell Jr. (born January 6, 1947) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party from the U.S. state of Louisiana. Since 2003, he has been a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He served in the Louisiana State Senate from 1976 to 2002.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the 2007 election against Republican Bobby Jindal. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 4th congressional district three times: in 1980, 1988, and 1990. In 2016, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the open U.S. Senate seat vacated by incumbent Republican David Vitter.
In 2012, Campbell became chairman of the five-member Public Service Commission. He was re-elected to a third term on the commission in 2014.[1] He won a fourth six-year term as Louisiana Public Service Commissioner in 2020.[2]
Background
Campbell was born in
Campbell has six children from his first wife, Paula Wright, from whom he is divorced: Zach, Peter, Kate, Nicholas, Mary Claire, and Sarah Elizabeth. Zach died in Dallas, Texas at the age of thirty-seven.[3] Campbell resides with his second wife, Gwen, in Elm Grove in south Bossier Parish, where he works as a farmer and cattleman.[5]
In 2009, Campbell was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.[6]
State Senate career
In 1975, Campbell was elected to the Senate to succeed the retiring
Campbell was sometimes at odds with Republican Governor David C. Treen, whom he claimed was aiming vetoes at projects in Campbell's senatorial district, including at one point a new roof for the Webster Parish Library in Minden, which years later built a new structure.[7] In 1982, Treen rejected funding for an industrial pact sought by Campbell. In hopes of enticing labor-intensive industries to relocate to Louisiana, Campbell proposed to earmark $30 million from the oil and natural gas surplus trust fund.[8] In 1983, Treen signed into law Campbell's bill to allow members of electric co-ops to come under Public Service Commission regulation. Under the law which Treen accepted after much wrangling, 20 percent of the membership must take part in any election in regard to enabling PSC jurisdiction over a utility company.[9]
In 1985, Campbell as a state senator lobbied Democratic Governor Edwin Edwards, who was serving his third term at the time, to establish a savings account to support the newly established Bossier Educational Excellence Fund (BEEF). As a former teacher, Campbell proposed that the Bossier Parish school system share in tax revenue from the Louisiana Downs horse racetrack. The revenues were already being divided by other local governmental entities. Edwards said that the program should be called BEEF for the Wendy's restaurant refrain at the time: "Where's the Beef?" By 2018, what began as $500,000 in tax funds from Louisiana Downs had grown, with the addition of casino revenues, to a $50 million investment.[10]
In 1992, State Senate President
Over the years, Campbell easily won reelection to his Senate seat. In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 1987, for instance, he polled 11,080 votes (70.2 percent) over two Democrats and a Republican opponent. Democrat (later Republican) Garland Mack Garrett, an oil company owner from Springhill born in 1942,[13] trailed with 3,400 votes (21.5 percent). Ivan J. Edwards received 474 votes (3 percent), and Republican William F. "Bill" Lott, drew the remaining 835 ballots (5.3 percent) [14] In 1995, his opponent, Webster Parish educator Ralph Lamar Rentz, a perennial candidate from Minden, died of a kidney ailment two days before the election.[15] With Rentz's death, Campbell withdrew from his automatic victory, and a second election was called.[16] Campbell then polled 21,652 votes (68 percent) to defeat three Republican candidates, Neil Fox, Roy Underwood, and Helaine George,[17] who was a former unsuccessful candidate for the state House of Representatives against Democrat Everett Doerge. After this victory, Campbell eyed a run for the Senate presidency.[18] Coincidentally, the day before Campbell's 1995 reelection, his predecessor in the office, Harold Montgomery, died.[19] Campbell did not win the Senate presidency, however, the position went to neighboring colleague Randy L. Ewing of Quitman in Jackson Parish, who endorsed Campbell in the latter's 1995 state Senate race.
Campbell was an early critic of Republican Governor
Congressional campaigns
In 1988, Campbell narrowly lost the congressional race to a former Roemer aide, Republican
In that 1988 race, Campbell was challenged about his support for Governor Edwin Edwards' $1 billion tax hike. Campbell said that he voted for less than a third of the tax increases Edwards sought: "I told him to cut the budget, and he didn't."[24] Campbell ultimately lost to McCrery by some 1,500 votes, 50.2-49.8 percent.[25]
In 1990, Campbell made this third and final race for the U.S. House, but he was again defeated by McCrery, who solidified his hold on the district. (McCrery retired in January 2009 and was succeeded by the Republican
Public Service Commissioner (2003–present)
In 1984, Campbell considered running for the Public Service Commission when the two-term incumbent, Edward Kennon of Minden, stepped down, but he did not seek the position at that time.[26]
In 2002, Campbell was elected from District 5 to the Public Service Commission, the statewide regulatory body in charge of public utilities and the petroleum industry. He narrowly unseated incumbent
Campbell garnered 198,033 votes to Monroe Republican challenger Shane Smiley's 177,228 votes to claim his fourth six-year term representing the Fifth District on the Louisiana Public Service Commission in the November 3, 2020 election.[2]
2007 gubernatorial campaign
In November 2006, Campbell informed the press that he was considering challenging incumbent Governor Kathleen Blanco, a fellow Democrat, in the 2007 primary election. He subsequently toured the state, raised money, and hired political consultant George Kennedy, who has been described by LAPolitics.com as "the state's hottest political consultant." The centerpiece of Campbell's platform was a proposal to repeal the excise tax levied by the state on domestic oil production and replace it with a 6 percent processing fee on all oil and natural gas that passes through the state. Campbell estimated that this fee would raise $5.5 billion per year, enough to eliminate the state's income tax with nearly $2 billion per year left for discretionary spending.
On March 19, 2007, in a press conference held in New Orleans, Campbell officially announced his gubernatorial candidacy. The next day, in apparent response to opinion polls showing that she would be unlikely to win re-election over Jindal, whom she had defeated in 2003, Blanco announced that she would not seek a second term as governor. Former U.S. Senator
In the gubernatorial race, Campbell polled 161,425 votes (12 percent) and won two parishes:
Had he been elected governor, Campbell would have been the fifth public service commissioner to move into the state's top position. Previously,
2016 U.S. Senate campaign
Campbell was a Democratic candidate for the
The race received national attention: Campbell was invited for interviews on MSNBC and CNN.[30] Campbell faced Treasurer John Kennedy in the December 10 runoff contest; Kennedy, boosted by campaign appearances from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, won the runoff contest by twenty-one points.
References
- ^ Bossier Press-Tribune Staff (2014-12-31). "The Biggest Stories of 2014". Bossier Newspaper Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
- ^ a b "Voters sent Foster Campbell back to District 5 PSC seat for fourth 6-year term". 4 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Foster Zachary Campbell". The News Star. Archived from the original on 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ "Commissioner District 5". Louisiana Public Service Commission. Archived from the original on 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ "Foster Campbell". WAFB 9. 8 October 2007. Archived from the original on 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ "Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame". cityofwinnfield.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
- ^ "Treen, Campbell Feudin'", Minden Press-Herald, August 23, 1982, p. 1.
- ^ "Treen refuses funding for industrial pact sought by Campbell", Minden Press-Herald, June 30, 1982, p. 1.
- ^ "Treen signs co-op bill", Minden Press-Herald, July 20, 1983, p. 1.
- ^ Sarah Crawford (June 26, 2018). "Foster Campbell, Edwin Edwards celebrate Bossier education fund". The Shreveport Times. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ Minden Press-Herald, February 6, 1992, p. 1
- ^ "Campbell blames oil tax for ousting", Minden Press-Herald, January 6, 1995, p. 1.
- ^ "Garrett is Senate challenger", Minden Press-Herald, September 16, 1987, p. 4A.
- ^ "Louisiana primary election results, October 24, 1987". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ "Senator Candidate Rentz dies at 65", Minden Press-Herald, October 20, 1995, p. 1.
- ^ "Hainkel and Ewing endorse Campbell", Minden Press-Herald, November 13, 1995, p. 1.
- ^ "Election Returns". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 18, 1995. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ "Campbell wins big; eyes Senate Presidency", Minden Press-Herald, November 20, 1995, p. 1
- ^ Allen J. M. Smith, "Sen. Harold Montgomery dies", Minden Press-Herald, November 18, 1995, p. 1.
- ^ "Campbell blasts governor", July 17, 1976, p. 1.
- ^ "McCrery, Campbell in April 16 runoff", Minden Press-Herald, March 9, 1988, p. 1.
- ^ "McCrery pledges low-key campaign", Minden Press-Herald, March 16, 1988, p. 1
- ^ "Campbell admits mistake, ready to campaign", Minden Press-Herald, March 21, 1988, p. 1.
- ^ Sonny Jeane, "Congressional candidates debate the issues", Minden Press-Herald, February 24, 1988, p. 1.
- ^ "Louisiana election returns, April 16, 1988". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- ^ "Ed Kennon won't run again for PSC post; Campbell might", Minden Press-Herald, June 12, 1984, p. 1
- ^ "General election returns, November 5, 2002". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ "Edwards tells Democrats he's supporting Campbell for Senate". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ^ Jeff Matthews (April 1, 2013). "Vitter noncommittal about future". The Alexandria Town Talk. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ^ "It Ain't Over Yet—Giving Thanks for Foster Campbell, the Last Shot to Get One More Democrat Into the Senate".
External links
THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY 8/29/2007
- [2]
- [3]
- Appearances on C-SPAN