Former Louisiana Governor to Launch White House Bid
By Shane D’Aprile, 3/3/11
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Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer (R) is set to announce the formation of a presidential exploratory committee, making him one of the earliest entrants into the 2012 Republican field.
Roemer is a Democrat-turned-Republican who served in the House and for one term as Louisiana governor, but hasn’t served in elected office for close to 20 years.
With the formation of the committee, Roemer would become the first former governor to officially jump into the 2012 field and join two largely unknown Republican contenders who have already formed exploratory committees — conservative talk-show host Herman Cain and gay rights activist Fred Karger.
From The Associated Press:
A former congressman out of elected office since the early 1990s, Roemer served one term as governor, from 1988 to 1992, switching from the Democratic Party to the GOP while running for re-election.
He lost his re-election bid after his “Roemer Revolution” of promised reforms failed to materialize amid disputes with lawmakers and allies of Democratic former Gov. Edwin Edwards, who preceded and succeeded Roemer in office. Roemer didn’t even make the runoff election, squeezed out by Edwards and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Most recently, Roemer has built and run a Baton Rouge-based bank that serves commercial businesses. He endorsed and campaigned for Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain for president in 2008.
Roemer will travel to Iowa next week to take part in an event hosted by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Sen. Rick Santorum and Cain will also be in attendance.
