Buddy Roemer
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Charles "Buddy" Elson Roemer, III (born October 4, 1943) was Governor of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992. He was elected with a minority of the vote in an election against Edwin Edwards. Edwards withdrew from the election after the primary, essentially handing the governorship to Roemer.
Roemer increased teacher pay, and toughened laws on campaign finance. He was also the first governor in state history to make a real effort to address the state's environmental deficiencies. The legislature, however, repeatedly opposed tax reforms proposed by Roemer, as the legislature was controlled by supporters of Edwin Edwards. Roemer also acquired a reputation for being difficult to work with, something he had been frequently accused of as a member of Congress.
Roemer switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party before the 1991 election, involving himself, Edwin Edwards (Democrat), and white supremacist David Duke (unendorsed Republican). Despite having a corruption-free administration, Roemer came in third in the 1991 primary election, which led to a nationally watched runoff between Duke and Edwards, whom Roemer endorsed.
One of the contributing factors to Roemer's defeat in the 1991 runoff election was a last minute advertising barrage by Marine Shale owner Jack Kent. Marine Shale was a serial polluter that had been targeted by the Roemer Administration. Seeking revenge, Kent spent $500,000 of his own money in the closing days of the campaign to purchase airtime for commercials that were heavily critical of Roemer.
In 1995, Roemer attempted a comeback, running again for governor of Louisiana. Roemer held a wide lead for much of the campaign, although his place in the polls may have been based heavily on name recognition. Roemer faded in the days before the runoff as conservative state senator Mike Foster peeled votes away from him. Once again, a late barrage by Jack Kent also damaged Roemer. He finished fourth, but only a few thousand votes out of the runoff.
Having failed at his political comeback, Roemer has, in recent years, remained content to spend most of his time in the financial world. He has taken part in various investments, most notably a retirement community near the campus of Louisiana State University. In the summer of 2004, Roemer briefly considered entering the race to succeed retiring senator John Breaux. Roemer passed on the race and Rep. David Vitter was elected to replace Breaux.
| Preceded by : Edwin Edwards | Governors of Louisiana | Succeeded by: Edwin Edwards |