Roger F. Villere Jr.

Roger Francis Villere Jr. (pronounced Villeree; born August 16, 1949) is an independent businessman from Metairie in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans, who has been chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party continuously since his election in March 2004 by the GOP State Central Committee.^[1] He succeeded Pat Brister of St. Tammany Parish, the first woman to have been the state GOP chairman, who served from 2000 to 2004.

In 2010 he ran in a special election to fill the seat of lieutenant governor after Mitch Landrieu was elected as mayor of New Orleans. Villere made a weak showing in a crowded field, and he was criticized by some opponents for running while serving as party chairman. Republican Jay Dardenne won the primary and the position.

Family and business background

A native of New Orleans, Villere is one of seven children born to Roger Villere Sr. (1911–1996), and the former Ursula Wattigny (born November 30, 1918), a schoolteacher and graduate of the defunct St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans. The Roman Catholic family moved to the nearby suburb of Metairie in 1955, when Roger was six years of age. Mrs. Villere was recognized on the floor of the U.S. Senate on the occasion of her 90th birthday by then Louisiana Senator David Vitter.

Villere went to parochial schools. He graduated in 1967 from Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie.^[2] After working briefly as a night clerk for the Illinois Central Railroad, Villere married and launched his Villere's Florist in 1969. He and his wife first ran it; later their sons joined the business. By 2009 Villere's business employed fifty persons. The family-owned and operated firm is located at 1107 Veterans Memorial Blvd. After building up his business, Villere became active in the Republican Party.

In 1969 Villere married the former Donna Gunckel (born ca. 1951), daughter of Joseph P. Gunckel of Franklinton in Washington Parish, and the former Marie Joyce Webre (1926–2002).^[3] They had three sons together: Roger, III (born 1970), Mark Charles Villere (born 1973), and Jacques Philip Villere (born 1980). All work in the family business.

State legislative race, 1989

In 1988, Republican State Representative Charles Cusimano resigned his seat to become a state court judge. A special election was called early that year to fill the seat. At age 39, Villere entered the race in District 89. His opponents included four fellow Republicans, John Spier Treen, a brother of former Governor David C. Treen, Ron Courtade, Delton Charles; and David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The race also included two Democrats, Buddy Savoie and Budd Olister. Treen and Duke gained enough votes to require a runoff, from which Duke emerged victorious. He served for three years in the state legislature.^[4] Duke used his new position as a base from which to launch campaigns for the U.S. Senate in 1990, governor in 1991, and President in 1992, but none was successful.

Villere decided against running for office, instead working on politics within the Louisiana Republican Party.^[5]

Political journalist Stephen Mark Sabludowsky of Metairie discussed the 1989 special legislative race:

"Duke won that legislative seat, became a political nightmare for Governor Buddy Roemer and Republican chairman William "Billy" Nungesser. Of course, Duke ran for a number of offices, doing well against two powerful Louisiana institutions in J. Bennett Johnston Jr., and Edwin Edwards. Duke's fortunes soured as he attempted to run for President, later spent time in jail, then peddled his racism and Nazism and 'loony tunes' philosophies in the likes of Russia, Iran, and elsewhere." Sabludowsky added, "Meanwhile, the young Roger Villere worked his way up the ladder of the Louisiana Republican Party, ultimately earning the position of chairman."^[5]

In 1996, Villere joined then state chairman Mike Francis in supporting U.S. Senator Phil Gramm of Texas for the Republican presidential nomination, but Gramm withdrew from the contest prior to the New Hampshire presidential primary.

In 2002, Villere endorsed Tony Perkins,^[6] a state representative from Baker in East Baton Rouge Parish as the most conservative of the leading candidates in the race for the U.S. Senate. However, the incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu was reelected in a general election against Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell, whom Villere and Perkins had supported after the primary. Perkins later became president of the Family Research Council.

Political spotlight

Villere has been described as having a take-no-prisoners approach as chairman. He offended Republican state legislators Joe Harrison of Napoleonville and Ernest Wooton of Belle Chasse by asking a Democratic state representative to submit certain personal (but public) information to him. Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans was then Speaker Pro Tem. Harrison and Wooton urged Villere to apologize or to step down from the chairmanship. Peterson had criticized Villere's ally, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal. Villere neither apologized nor resigned.^[7] Wooton later left the GOP and turned Independent.

Promoting party unity

Villere has often called for Republican unity, citing Ronald W. Reagan's Eleventh Commandment,^[8] which discourages Republicans from speaking against fellow party members. He urged Paul Sawyer, a primary opponent to Woody Jenkins, a former state representative from Baton Rouge who in 2008 sought a vacant seat in the United States House of Representatives, to withdraw a particular advertisement attempting to link Jenkins to past support of David Duke.^[8]

In the fall of 2008, Villere threatened to "discipline" Louisiana Republicans who endorsed U.S. Senator Landrieu for a third term, rather than the party choice, State Treasurer John Neely Kennedy. Kennedy had switched from Democratic affiliation in 2007. Among those supporting Landrieu was former Governor Treen. Others backing Landrieu were the sheriffs in Jefferson and St Tammany parishes. In addition, U.S. Representative Rodney Alexander attended a Landrieu fund-raiser at the home of former Louisiana State Senator Randy Ewing, a Democrat from Jackson Parish. He had served as the former State Senate President and who in 2003 ran unsuccessfully for governor.^[9] Kennedy did win election to the Senate in 2016.

Upon Dave Treen's death in 2009, Villere described the former governor as

"a courageous man who loved our country and our state. He fought the political establishment in the 1970s and 1970s when it was very difficult to elect a Republican in our state, and his career in political office was marked with integrity and fiscal discipline. It is important for younger voters to understand that Louisiana's commitment to high ethical standards and the existence of a viable two-party system in our state are relatively new developments. ... Dave Treen laid the foundation to change all that, and for that, millions of Louisiana citizens owe him a profound debt of gratitude.”^[10]

Senator Vitter, a former Treen intraparty rival, also lauded the former governor as the "father of the Republican Party in Louisiana."

2009 events

In January 2009, Villere joined the Oklahoma state chairman, Gary Jones, in endorsing Ken Blackwell, the former Ohio secretary of state, for national party chairman. Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, won the position.^[11] Steele was replaced as chairman in 2011 by Reince Priebus of Wisconsin.

Villerie opposed the national health care plan advanceed by U.S. President Barack Obama.^[12] He called on the White House to consider the Republican alternative health proposals advanced by then U.S. Representative Charles Boustany, a retired physician from Lafayette.

Journalist Stephen Sabludowsky considers Villere a particularly effective state chairman, noting that the GOP has become a "potent force in shaping the state. While Villere could not win an election in District 81 two decades ago, now, he has become one of the most influential individuals in Louisiana, helping to set policies and pass legislation. ... When Roger Villere and the Louisiana Republican Party speak, the Louisiana Republican legislators and conservatives listen and vote almost in lockstep. ... Rarely do the Louisiana Republican legislators veer from the words and warnings of Roger Villere. ... Governor Bobby Jindal rarely speaks out publicly giving a stern warning or rebuke. In a sense, Jindal is often playing the 'good cop' and Villere the 'bad cop'. . . . the formula appears to be working quite well.”^[5]

2010 Lieutenant governor campaign

In March 2010, Villere announced that he would run for lieutenant governor, a position vacated on May 3 by Democrat Mitch Landrieu, who was elected as the mayor of New Orleans. Several other Republicans also entered the October 2 special election for the fifteen months remaining in Landrieu's term:

• Sammy Kershaw, a country music singer who had lost to Landrieu in 2007;
• Jay Dardenne of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Secretary of State; and
• Kevin Davis, parish president of St. Tammany Parish in the New Orleans suburbs.^[13] Meanwhile, State Representative Cameron Henry, also of Metairie, tried earlier in the year to abolish the office of lieutenant governor.^[14]

Several of Villere's opponents said that he should not have run while continuing as party chairman because of an apparent conflict of interest. There is no national or state party rule, however, that a chairman must step down if running for office. In the 1970s, early years of revival of the Republican Party in Arkansas, Ken Coon and Lynn Lowe, then state Republican chairmen, each remained in that post while running for governor in 1974 and 1978, against David Pryor and Bill Clinton, respectively. The two were unsuccessful.

Jay Dardenne had name recognition as secretary of state and gained a large vote in his home territory of East Baton Rouge Parish; he led the field of candidates in the special election. Finishing second was the Democrat Caroline Fayard, a favorite of former President Bill Clinton, who came to Louisiana to endorse her candidacy. Villere was endorsed by the Lafayette Tea Party movement, Tea Party of Louisiana, the Jefferson Parish Republican Party, Rapides Parish Republican Party, and the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce.^[15] He finished sixth among eight candidates.

Dardenne said that Villere did not seem to have gained "broad support" for his candidacy outside the 144-member Republican State Central Committee, which reelected Villere as chairman in 2010. "It [Villere candidacy] has not been a problem for me in terms of raising money and garnering support. I've been able to raise a lot of money from Republicans and the major Republican donors across the state are lining up behind me," said Dardenne.^[15]

Kershaw criticized Villere strongly, as he believed that his candidacy was damaged by the chairman attracting some support. He said that Villere's candidacy was

"a direct conflict of interest on several levels. His job is to raise money and get Republican candidates elected. While running his own campaign, there's no way he can effectively do his job. I think Mr. Villere should have resigned [when he announced for lieutenant governor]. He's a nice guy, as far as I know, but if he can't win the race without being chairman, he shouldn't run."^[15]

After the primary election, Villere endorsed Dardenne. Political scientist Pearson Cross of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette said that, after Villere had criticized Dardenne for months, it seemed odd for him to act as if he could then say, "Well, we just need to all come together."^[16]

Within days after the primary, Villere faced calls for his resignation from within the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee. Again, Villere ignored the calls that he step down. Meanwhile, Dardenne defeated the Fayard in the general election on November 2, 2010.

References