Mike Francis Fighting For Election Integrity

By Woody Jenkins, Editor, Central City News – Baton Rouge

 Mike Francis made a small fortune in the oil patch and got tired of watching corruption in Louisiana politics.  With more than 500 employees, he could see how state government was destroying our economy and making it impossible to compete with Texas.

In the 1990’s he ran for and was elected Republican State Chairman to try to bring about change.  He strongly supported Mike Foster for Governor in 1995.  Gov. Foster ran on a pledge of no new taxes.

So when the new Republican governor called his Republican state chairman asking for support for a major tax increase, Mike Francis gave the governor a big NO!  It was something of a shock to the new governor.  

Mike Francis said, “We didn’t need more taxes and the governor ran on a no-new-taxes platform!  How could I support it?”

Gov. Foster didn’t take the NO lightly and targeted Francis for defeat.  But the Republican chairman turned around and sued the governor on another matter, and he won!

A Republican state chairman suing a Republican governor? Well, it just doesn’t happen.  But Mike Francis wasn’t looking for anything from the governor — except honest, conservative government.

Mike Francis wasn’t going after Gov. Foster in particular.  He had sued Edwin Edwards when Edwards was governor and won too!

This independent, no nonsense posture is important in our Secretary of State, who must be strong and courageous enough to stand up to any politician, good or bad, who wants to bend the rules.

Five years ago, Mike Francis ran for and was elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, where he has fought to protect the consumer and rein in the big utilities.  Now he is a candidate for Secretary of State, running on a platform of election integrity.

The Republican Party has endorsed Mike Francis because of the principled and honest stand he has taken.

His platform is exactly what is needed:

•Election integrity

•Stop vote fraud

•Continue to require photo ID

•Make sure voting precincts are kept free of corruption

•Audit elections

•Keep lists of registered voters up to date

•Purchase voting machines we can trust

•Have voting machines with a back up paper trail

•Continue to prohibit dropboxes in Louisiana

•Restrict mail ballots

•Work closely with clerks of court and registrars of voters

•Make sure every election is honest.

Mike Francis is a staunch conservative who is pro-life, pro-traditional family, and pro-gun.

The Central City News is proud to endorse Mike Francis for Secretary of State on Oct. 14.