Foster Campbell

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Foster L. Campbell, Jr. (born January 6, 1947), is a Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a former 26-year member of the Louisiana State Senate, and an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary. Campbell polled 161,425 votes (12 percent) and won two parishes: Red River and Bienville, both near Shreveport. He lost his home parish of Bossier Parish (20 percent) to the successful candidate, Bobby Jindal (60 percent).

Born in Shreveport, Campbell graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches with a bachelor of science degree. 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 Senate to succeed the retiring conservative Democrat Harold Montgomery of Doyline in Webster Parish. During his Senate service, Campbell was often an ally of Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. He chaired the Select Committee on Consumer Affairs.

Over the years, Campbell easily won reelection to his Senate seat. In the jungle 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 trailed with 3,400 votes (21.5 percent. Ivan J. Edwards received 474 votes (3 percent), and the Republican William F. "Bill" Lott, drew the remaining 835 votes (5.3 percent) [1]

Campbell ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in both 1980 and 1988. The seat which he contested was on by then-Democrat Buddy Roemer in 1980 and Republican Jim McCrery in 1988. Campbell was seriously injured in a single vehicle car crash weeks before the 1988 runoff election when he drove the wrong way down an unfinished, and not yet opened, section of Interstate 49. The accident left him blind in his right eye. In 1990 Campbell made this third race for the U.S. House, but he was again defeated by McCrery, who solidified his hold on the district. (McCrery has since announced that he will not seek an eleventh full term in 2008.)

In 2002, Campbell was elected to the Public Service Commission (District 5), the statewide regulatory agency in charge of public utilities and the oil industry. He unseated popular incumbent Donald Lynn "Don" Owen, a former news anchorman for KSLA-TV in Shreveport.

In November 2006, Campbell informed the press that he was considering challenging incumbent Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, a fellow Democrat, in the primary. 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 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 campaign. The next day, in apparent response to opinion polls showing that she would be unlikely to win re-election over Jindal, Blanco announced that she would not seek re-election. (Blanco had defeated Jindal in the 2003 general election.) Former U.S. Senator John Breaux, a Democrat, was expected to also announce his candidacy, but he bowed out on April 13. On April 26, another gubernatorial contender, Walter Boasso, the Republican state senator from St. Bernard Parish in south Louisiana, announced that he was returning to the Democratic Party. Campbell faced Jindal and Boasso in the primary as well as an independent, John Georges of New Orleans. When asked to cite some of the differences between him and frontrunner Jindal, Campbell says, “I understand rural people and agriculture. He has no idea what’s going on in rural communities and agriculture. I work with black people very well. I don’t think that he has a lot of communication with the black community.”

Had he been elected governor, Campbell would have been the fifth public service commission to become governor. Previously, Huey Long, Jimmie Davis, John McKeithen, and Blanco were public service commissioners.

Campbell is a divorced father of six children. He resides in Elm Grove in south Bossier Parish and raises cattle.

Campbell is now considered a 2008 Democratic primary possibility, along with former Shreveport Mayor Keith Hightower, to seek the U.S. House seat being vacated by the retiring McCrery. Were he to seek the House seat for what would be his fourth attempt, Campbell could not seek a second six-year term on the Public Service Commission.

Preceded by
A. Harold Montgomery (D)		 Louisiana State Senator for the 36th District (Bossier, Webster, Bienville, later parts of Claiborne and Red River parishes)

Foster L. Campbell, Jr. (D)
1976–2002

 Succeeded by
Robert Roy Adley (D) later (R)
Preceded by
Donald Lynn "Don" Owen (D)		 Louisiana Public Service Commissioner from District 5

Foster L. Campbell, Jr. (D)
2003–

 Succeeded by
Incumbent; Election scheduled in 2008


[edit] External links

THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY 8/29/2007