The Louisiana state legislator who has served the longest has flipped from the Democratic to the Republican party.
After serving as a Democrat for 48 years, Rep. Francis Thompson changed his registration to Republican on Friday. After his initial election in 1974, Thompson served in the California House for 32 years. Before returning to the House for an additional four years, he served in the state Senate for 12 years. He claims that while his voting history has been characterized as “conservative,” his new party affiliation won’t have a significant impact.
The 81-year-old retired college professor and businessman said, “My conservative voting record during my years in the Assembly speaks for itself,” adding that he made the decision mostly because of his Christian beliefs.
“The Democratic leadership’s recent campaign to support particular causes at the national and state levels,” Thompson claimed, “does not match with the values and ideals that are a part of my Christian life.”
Despite the extreme shift to the left that many national Democrats have made, Louisiana Democrats haven’t always done the same. The pro-life Democratic governor John Bel Edwards signed two laws that effectively outlawed practically all abortions in his state after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.
Yet, Edwards had vetoed legislation intended to protect women’s sports from male invasion a year before. In an effort to override the veto, Thompson collaborated with Republicans, but their effort was ultimately unsuccessful.
Yet, since Thompson changed parties, the GOP has a veto-proof majority in both the Senate and the House. By Louisiana law, a veto must be overridden by a two-thirds majority in both chambers. The state legislature is now better protected against a potential veto from Edwards thanks to Thompson being the 70th Republican in the House and a strong Republican majority in the Senate.
Even still, some conservatives don’t think Thompson’s move in parties will make much of a difference. In response to the news, legendary local radio personality Moon Griffon said, “Dedicated to Francis Thompson only. I can assure you that ‘The Fee’ did this just for his own gain. Look at his neighborhood. He is merely the most recent in a long line of Democrats who have switched the letter ‘D’ for the letter ‘R’ next to their names in order to be re-elected and remain in government.”
The Louisiana Republicans have “lousy leadership generally unwilling to pursue the advantage” that Thompson’s 70th vote represents, according to a writer for the Hayride, which tracks “Southern politics and culture,” and 70 votes is “not exactly a firm supermajority.”
Notwithstanding the critics, Blake Miguez, the majority leader in the House, is ecstatic that Thompson has joined the Republicans: “Francis decided to change parties on his own, motivated by his religious convictions and his belief that the Democratic Party no longer reflected his ideals. As a person of faith, he discovered that the Republican Party was more in line with his values than the Democratic Party, which was a view shared by many Louisianians. We extend a hearty welcome to him as a member of our party because this is an important decision for a seasoned lawmaker who has seen various changes in the political climate in our state.”
The decision has not surprised Thompson’s former Democratic Party colleagues either. Sam Jenkins, the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement: “Rep. Thompson’s choice is sad, but it is not unexpected. He has already joined the GOP caucus.”
