Mike Francis
Encyclopedia
Michael Gordon Francis, known as Mike Francis (born November 27, 1946), is a prominent Crowley
businessman who was the chairman of the Republican Party
in Louisiana
from 1994–2000. A staunch fiscal and social conservative, Francis was an unsuccessful candidate for Secretary of State of Louisiana
in a special election held on September 30, 2006. Francis indicated that he would again seek the position again in the jungle primary
on October 20, 2007, but he failed to file his qualification papers. "I will work to ensure the right to vote. I will fight to stop voter fraud, vote buying, and vote stealing," Francis vowed in his campaign for secretary of state.
As the Republican state chairman, Francis challenged the political order, including an effort to unseat most of Governor Edwin Washington Edwards' floor leaders in the Louisiana State Senate
in the 1995 elections. In the 1996 Louisiana presidential caucus
won by the journalist
and commentator Patrick J. Buchanan, Francis worked for then U.S. Senator William Philip "Phil" Gramm
of Texas
, who soon left the race and deferred to the eventual nominee, former Senator Robert J. Dole
of Kansas
.
Francis has been mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for the District 4 seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission
, which will be filled in a special election on April 4, 2008, to replace member Dale Sittig
of Eunice
, who resigned to become director of the Louisiana Offshore Terminal Authority. Ultimately, the Republican Clyde C. Holloway
of Rapides Parish
won the remaining nineteen months of Sittig's term.
, the seat of La Salle Parish in north Louisiana, Francis became wealthy in the oil
processing business from his base in Acadiana
. His company is based in Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish, a rice
-growing region in southwestern Louisiana, which produced two of the state's political giants of the late 20th century, Democrats
Edwin Edwards and John B. Breaux. Francis also has a residence in Lafayette
.
Francis is the chief executive officer
for Francis Drilling Fluids, Ltd. FDF, one of the oldest drilling fluids companies on the Gulf Coast
. He employs more than 350 people at locations in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma
, and Wyoming
. The corporate headquarters is located in Crowley.
, named Democratic state Senator Cecil Picard as education secretary, a special election was held on August 24, 1996, to begin the process of choosing Picard's state senate successor, State Representative
Gerald Theunissen
, a Democrat who later switched to Republican affiliation, led the contest with 7,086 votes (29.5 percent). Francis, still state party chairman and the only Republican among the six candidates, finished in second place with 6,112 votes (25.5 percent). Four other Democrats shared the remaining but crucial 45 percent of the ballots. In the runoff election on September 21, Theunissen defeated Francis, 20,320 (55.7 percent) to 16,172 (44.3 percent).
"We have had a lot of criticism about professional politicians in this state. . . . People are crying out for change. Most are demanding it. . . . Our problems are not Republican or Democrat problems. They are all our problems, and we need to face them together. We need sound business principles in Baton Rouge and not more politics. To attract business, we need leaders who know how to talk business, not politics," Francis said.
Francis had promised, if elected, that he would take a business approach to the secretary of state's office and work to create jobs and to ensure "clean elections," for which he noted Louisiana has often been lacking.
, an attorney
and state senator from Baton Rouge. The election was held to finish the fifteen months remaining in the term of Republican Walter Fox McKeithen
, who died in the summer of 2005. Al Ater
, a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from Ferriday
in Concordia Parish, had succeeded to the position because he was McKeithen's first deputy. The special election was held in conjunction with the jungle primary
for other offices contested in 2006.
Francis ran a strong third in the race, based largely on his support in mostly rural and small-town parishes in his native north Louisiana. He received 26 percent of the vote. Democratic state Senator Francis C. Heitmeier polled 28 percent, and Dardenne led the field with 30 percent. None of the other four candidates had more than 9 percent.
Dardenne was hence scheduled to face a runoff election with Heitmeier of New Orleans. In the meantime, Francis announced that he would not support Dardenne in the second balloting but would run himself for the position in 2007. Heitmeier pulled out of the race and left Dardenne unopposed. Heitmeier's decision was surprising in that 2006 was otherwise a banner year for Democrats nationwide. Heitmeier is term-limited (as was Dardenne) and was ineligible to have sough reelection in his heavily Democratic district in 2007.
"Just because I’m third doesn’t mean I need to sign on with one of them," Francis said on the Monday after the Saturday special election. "When you look at the voting record and history of Dardenne and Heitmeier, they are very similar. I disagree with term-limited senators running for this office."
Francis' largely self-financed campaign ads and literature targeted what he called the senators’ "liberal" votes for taxes and abortion
.
U.S. Senator David Vitter
, a Republican from Metairie
in Jefferson Parish, endorsed Dardenne when a runoff appeared likely. He praised Dardenne's pro-business, governmental reform record and his "dogged determination and persistence" for term limits and other fundamental changes. "There couldn’t be a clearer choice: reform versus the courthouse crowd," Vitter claimed.
Diana Istre Francis (born December 20, 1950) of Crowley, Francis's former wife of thirty-three years, donated $1,000 and volunteered to help Dardenne, having been quoted as saying that "God is at the head of my party."
Dardenne raised $722,631; Francis, $149,637 and added $70,000 of his own funds for a total of $219,650. In his unsuccessful race, Francis carried the support of the 2008 presidential candidate, U.S. Senator John McCain
of Arizona
.
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
businessman who was the chairman of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
from 1994–2000. A staunch fiscal and social conservative, Francis was an unsuccessful candidate for Secretary of State of Louisiana
Secretary of State of Louisiana
The Secretary of State of Louisiana is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The position was created by Article 4, Section 7 of the Louisiana Constitution.The current Secretary of State is Tom Schedler....
in a special election held on September 30, 2006. Francis indicated that he would again seek the position again in the jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
on October 20, 2007, but he failed to file his qualification papers. "I will work to ensure the right to vote. I will fight to stop voter fraud, vote buying, and vote stealing," Francis vowed in his campaign for secretary of state.
As the Republican state chairman, Francis challenged the political order, including an effort to unseat most of Governor Edwin Washington Edwards' floor leaders in the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
in the 1995 elections. In the 1996 Louisiana presidential caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
won by the journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and commentator Patrick J. Buchanan, Francis worked for then U.S. Senator William Philip "Phil" Gramm
Phil Gramm
William Philip "Phil" Gramm is an American economist and politician, who has served as a Democratic Congressman , a Republican Congressman and a Republican Senator from Texas...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, who soon left the race and deferred to the eventual nominee, former Senator Robert J. Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
Francis has been mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for the District 4 seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
, which will be filled in a special election on April 4, 2008, to replace member Dale Sittig
Dale Sittig
Clifton Dale Sittig is the director of the Louisiana Offshore Terminal Authority, who previously served from 1995-2008 as a Democratic member of his state’s Public Service Commission and from 1983-1995 as a state representative from Eunice in St. Landry Parish in south Louisiana.Sittig graduated...
of Eunice
Eunice, Louisiana
Eunice is a city in Acadia, Evangeline and St. Landry parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 11,499 at the 2000 census.The St...
, who resigned to become director of the Louisiana Offshore Terminal Authority. Ultimately, the Republican Clyde C. Holloway
Clyde C. Holloway
Clyde Cecil Holloway is an American small business owner from Forest Hill in the southern part of Rapides Parish who is one of five members of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He also served as a conservative Republican member of the U.S...
of Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
won the remaining nineteen months of Sittig's term.
Early years and business
Born in JenaJena, Louisiana
Jena is a town in and the parish seat of La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census.In September 2006, Jena became the focus of national news stories in the United States for a racial controversy involving its school system and a group of students known...
, the seat of La Salle Parish in north Louisiana, Francis became wealthy in the oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
processing business from his base in Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
. His company is based in Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish, a rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
-growing region in southwestern Louisiana, which produced two of the state's political giants of the late 20th century, Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Edwin Edwards and John B. Breaux. Francis also has a residence in Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
.
Francis is the chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
for Francis Drilling Fluids, Ltd. FDF, one of the oldest drilling fluids companies on the Gulf Coast
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. He employs more than 350 people at locations in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. The corporate headquarters is located in Crowley.
State Senate race, 1996
When Republican Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. served as 53rd Governor of Louisiana from January 1996 until January 2004. Foster's father was Murphy J. Foster, Jr., but Mike Foster uses "Jr." even though he is technically Murphy J. Foster, III. Foster is a businessman, landowner, and sportsman in St...
, named Democratic state Senator Cecil Picard as education secretary, a special election was held on August 24, 1996, to begin the process of choosing Picard's state senate successor, State Representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Gerald Theunissen
Gerald Theunissen
Gerald Joseph Theunissen, or Jerry Theunissen , is the vice president of Jeff Davis Bank in Jennings, Louisiana, USA, and served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 37 and as the state senator from District 25...
, a Democrat who later switched to Republican affiliation, led the contest with 7,086 votes (29.5 percent). Francis, still state party chairman and the only Republican among the six candidates, finished in second place with 6,112 votes (25.5 percent). Four other Democrats shared the remaining but crucial 45 percent of the ballots. In the runoff election on September 21, Theunissen defeated Francis, 20,320 (55.7 percent) to 16,172 (44.3 percent).
Running for secretary of state
The secretary of state is Louisiana's top elections officer. The office maintains corporation and government records."We have had a lot of criticism about professional politicians in this state. . . . People are crying out for change. Most are demanding it. . . . Our problems are not Republican or Democrat problems. They are all our problems, and we need to face them together. We need sound business principles in Baton Rouge and not more politics. To attract business, we need leaders who know how to talk business, not politics," Francis said.
Francis had promised, if elected, that he would take a business approach to the secretary of state's office and work to create jobs and to ensure "clean elections," for which he noted Louisiana has often been lacking.
Losing to Jay Dardenne
Francis lost the race to fellow Republican Jay DardenneJay Dardenne
John Leigh "Jay" Dardenne, Jr. , has been Louisiana's Republican lieutenant governor since November 22, 2010. He won a special election to the position held in conjunction with the regular November 2 general election. At the time, Dardenne was Louisiana secretary of state...
, an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and state senator from Baton Rouge. The election was held to finish the fifteen months remaining in the term of Republican Walter Fox McKeithen
W. Fox McKeithen
Walter Fox McKeithen served five terms as Secretary of State of Louisiana between 1988 and 2005. He is best remembered for merging the state's election divisions into one department and for the promotion of historical preservation.-Son of a governor:He was born Walter Fox McKeithen in Columbia in...
, who died in the summer of 2005. Al Ater
Al Ater
Alan Ray Ater , known as Al Ater, is a farmer and businessman from Ferriday, Louisiana, who served from 1984-1992 as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 21 in the eastern portion of his state....
, a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
in Concordia Parish, had succeeded to the position because he was McKeithen's first deputy. The special election was held in conjunction with the jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
for other offices contested in 2006.
Francis ran a strong third in the race, based largely on his support in mostly rural and small-town parishes in his native north Louisiana. He received 26 percent of the vote. Democratic state Senator Francis C. Heitmeier polled 28 percent, and Dardenne led the field with 30 percent. None of the other four candidates had more than 9 percent.
Dardenne was hence scheduled to face a runoff election with Heitmeier of New Orleans. In the meantime, Francis announced that he would not support Dardenne in the second balloting but would run himself for the position in 2007. Heitmeier pulled out of the race and left Dardenne unopposed. Heitmeier's decision was surprising in that 2006 was otherwise a banner year for Democrats nationwide. Heitmeier is term-limited (as was Dardenne) and was ineligible to have sough reelection in his heavily Democratic district in 2007.
"Just because I’m third doesn’t mean I need to sign on with one of them," Francis said on the Monday after the Saturday special election. "When you look at the voting record and history of Dardenne and Heitmeier, they are very similar. I disagree with term-limited senators running for this office."
Francis' largely self-financed campaign ads and literature targeted what he called the senators’ "liberal" votes for taxes and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
U.S. Senator David Vitter
David Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
, a Republican from Metairie
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
in Jefferson Parish, endorsed Dardenne when a runoff appeared likely. He praised Dardenne's pro-business, governmental reform record and his "dogged determination and persistence" for term limits and other fundamental changes. "There couldn’t be a clearer choice: reform versus the courthouse crowd," Vitter claimed.
Diana Istre Francis (born December 20, 1950) of Crowley, Francis's former wife of thirty-three years, donated $1,000 and volunteered to help Dardenne, having been quoted as saying that "God is at the head of my party."
Dardenne raised $722,631; Francis, $149,637 and added $70,000 of his own funds for a total of $219,650. In his unsuccessful race, Francis carried the support of the 2008 presidential candidate, U.S. Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.