Rep. Dixon McMakin Attempts to Take Over Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish

In an unusual move, Rep. Dixon McMakin of Baton Rouge has introduced a bill to name himself, other legislators, statewide officials, and members of the Public Service Commission and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to the East Baton Rouge Republican Parish Executive Committee.

The bill is an attempted coup or take over of the party by legislative fiat rather than by the Republican voters of the parish.  It is reminiscent of President Franklin Roosevelt’s attempts to “pack” the U.S. Supreme Court, when he wasn’t getting his way with the nine-member Supreme Court at the time.

McMakin’s bill applies only to East Baton Rouge Parish and has no effect on the parish Executive Committees in the other 63 parishes.

The bill will be heard by the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 23 in House Committee Room 2 of the Capitol.

Currently, recognized political parties in the state are governed at the parish level by a Republican or Democratic Parish Executive Committee.  Members of the committee are elected by grassroots Republican and Democratic voters respectively.  The election occurs during the state’s Presidential Primary in March every four years.

Five members of the PEC are elected at-large parishwide, and one member is elected from each Metro Council district or police jury district in the parish. In East Baton Rouge Parish, there are 12 Metro Council districts.

As a result, the East Baton Rouge Republican Parish Executive Committee has five at-large members and 12 members representing Metro Council districts.

The current members of the East Baton Rouge Repubican Parish Executive Committee were elected by voters in March 2024.  Their current term ends in March 2028.

However, under the terms of McMakin’s bill, the people named in his bill would take office upon signature by the governor. As result, barring a legal challenge, the people handpicked by McMakin would serve alongside and have an equal vote with those elected to serve..

If HB200 is passed and a legal challenge is filed, the bill could face serious legal and constitutional issnues.  Both federal and state courts have repeatedly ruled that political parties are private organizations and not subject to control by government.  For example, in the case of Republican Party of Louisiana v. Governor Mike Foster, Foster had passed through the legislature a bill to change the membership of the Republican State Central Committee.  The Louisiana Supreme Court struck down the rules Foster had passed and ruled that the Republican Party of Louisiana is a private organization and not subject to control by the State of Louisiana.

HB 200 is also noteworthy because it purports to apply to the Democratic Party as well as the Republican Party. This means the Republican-dominated Louisiana Legislature would dictate the membership of the East Baton Rouge Democratic Parish Executive Committee.

Republican State Party chairman Derek Babcock has expressed his strong opposition to HB 200.  “The legislature has no business attempting to dictate the officers of our local Republican Party.  If they want to be members of the PEC, they need to run for it like everyone else,” Babcock said.

On Tuesday, the East Baton Rouge Republican Parish Executive Committee voted unanimously to oppose HB 200.

Republican parish chairman Woody Jenkins said, “This bill is undemocratic. It attempts to take away control of the local Republican Party from rank-and-file, grassroots Republicans and turn it over to the politicians.  Rep. McMakin can’t just name himself and his hand-picked cronies as officers of the Republican Party.”

“If this is such a good idea, why is he doing it only in East Baton Rouge and not the rest of the state?”

“This won’t happen, and if we have to go to court, we will.”