Foster Campbell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Foster L. Campbell, Jr. (born January 6, 1947) is a veteran Democratic politician from Louisiana. He is a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission and a former member of the Louisiana Senate. Campbell ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in both 1980 and 1988.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Campbell graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches with a bachelor of science degree. After graduation, he became a salesman of agricultural supplies until 1976, when he founded the Campbell Insurance Agency in Bossier City.

That same year, he was elected to the Louisiana Senate to succeed the retiring conservative Democrat A. Harold Montgomery of tiny Doyline in Webster Parish. He served twenty-six years in the Senate, often an ally of Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. He chaired the Select Committee on Consumer Affairs. In 2002, he was elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the statewide regulatory agency in charge of public utilities and the state oil industry. He unseated a popular incumbent Don Owen, a former television news anchorman in Shreveport.

In November of 2006, Campbell informed the press that he was considering challenging incumbent Kathleen Blanco, a fellow Democrat, for the office of Governor of Louisiana in 2007. He subsequently toured the state, raised money, and hired political consultant George Kennedy, described by LAPolitics.com as "the state's hottest political consultant." The centerpiece of Campbell's platform for the campaign is a proposal to repeal the excise tax levied by the state on domesic oil production and replace it with a six percent processing fee on all oil and natural gas that passes through the state. Campbell estimates that this fee will raise $5.5 billion per year, enough to eliminate the state's income tax and have nearly $2 billion per year left over for discretionary spending.

On March 19, 2007, in a press conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Campbell officially announced his gubernatorial campaign. The next day, responding to opinion polls showing that she would be unlikely to win re-election over Republican challenger Bobby Jindal, Governor Blanco announced that she would not seek re-election. Former U.S. Senator John Breaux, a Democrat, is expected to announce his candidacy shortly.

If elected, Campbell would be the fourth Public Service Commissioner to become Governor, following Governors Huey Long, Jimmie Davis, and John McKeithen.