Royal Alexander

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Richard Royal Alexander

Royal Alexander
Born 1966
Shreveport, Louisiana
Occupation Attorney; former congressional staffer
Political party Republican candidate for Louisiana attorney general in 2007

Richard Royal Alexander (born 1966) is an attorney from Shreveport who was the Republican candidate for Louisiana attorney general in the November 17, 2007, general election. He was defeated by a 2-1 margin by the Democratic candidate, District Attorney (Sixth Judicial District) James D. "Buddy" Caldwell, Jr., of Tallulah, the seat of Madison Parish in far northeastern Louisiana.

Caldwell received 477,574 votes (67 percent) to Alexander's 239,485 (33 percent). Alexander carried only two of the sixty-four parishes, Caddo and Bossier but by relatively narrow margins. He even lost often Republican leaning St. Tammany, Lafayette, and La Salle parishes.[1]

The incumbent, Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr. of New Orleans, ran a strong third in the October 20 primary but was eliminated from the second round of balloting.

Caldwell had led in the primary with 434,111 (36 percent); Alexander received 395,649 votes (32 percent), and Foti finished with 389,658 (also 32 percent). Alexander hence gained only one percentage point in the low-turnout general election from his primary tally, as Foti backers flocked heavily to fellow Democrat Caldwell.

Alexander's primary strength had been limited largely to parishes about Shreveport, Monroe, and Alexandria, but he lost even Monroe and Alexandria in the general election.[2]

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[edit] Education, career

Alexander received his bachelor of arts degree from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. He obtained his legal credentials from the private Oklahoma City University School of Law. He was a law clerk to United States District Judge Rebecca F. Doherty, an appointee of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush to the Western District of Louisiana based in Lafayette and Opelousas. A former administrative law judge, he has also been in private practice, handling both criminal and civil cases.[3]

Most recently, he was chief of staff to Fifth District Republican U.S. Representative Rodney Alexander of Jackson Parish. The Alexanders are not related. Democrats have criticized Royal Alexander for having acted too slowly in regard to the disclosure of the 2006 congressional page scandal, provoked by former Representative Mark Foley who sent sexually suggestive email messages to a teenaged boy who lived in Rodney Alexander's House district.[4]

Royal Alexander is also a former staffer to former U.S. Representative Clyde C. Holloway of Rapides Parish, a predecessor in the same seat now held by Rodney Alexander.[citation needed]

[edit] Sexual harassment charge

In 2006, Royal Alexander was charged with sexual harassment by Elizabeth Scott, Representative Alexander's former scheduler. Scott's attorney, Michael Hoare, claims that Royal Alexander "engaged in a course of misconduct" that included "inappropriate sex-based comments, ogling and touching" and "sexual advances" toward his office colleague. Scott allegedly told Rodney Alexander about Royal Alexander's behavior, but no corrective action was taken.

Scott said that she was demoted from scheduler to staff assistant by Royal Alexander in May 2006 after she complained of "possible sex discrimination". She then left the office in June on the grounds that the work environment was "intolerable". A legislative investigation found Scott's allegations baseless. Further, Alexander's office maintains that Scott made her claims in retaliation for having been demoted for incompetence as a scheduler and cites an instance when Scott sent Representative Alexander to the wrong location for a major event. [5]

[edit] Alexander's platform

Royal Alexander has criticized Foti for the arrest of several health-care professionals charged in the deaths of nursing home patients during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Alexander's platform calls for (1) fighting corruption and cronyism, (2) elimination of politics from the office of the attorney general, (3) fighting for tougher sentences for sex offender and child predators, (4) strengthening state consumer protection laws, (5) assisting district attorneys in their prosecutions of drug crimes, particularly methamphetamines, (6) ensuring that the criminal justice system is sufficiently funded to keep repeat criminals off the streets, (7) fighting the problem of violent gangs.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Louisiana Secretary of State-Multi-Parish Elections Inquiry
  2. ^ Louisiana Secretary of State-Multi-Parish Elections Inquiry
  3. ^ Royal Alexander | Attorney General
  4. ^ Foley Scandal Began, and Ended, With Alexander
  5. ^ GOP congressman Rodney Alexander's (R-LA) office sued for sexual harassment. Congressman allegedly was informed and did nothing. - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
  6. ^ Royal Alexander biodata

[edit] External links