Former Gov. Charles Buddy Roemer of Louisiana said on Wednesday that he will drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination but will continue his bid for the American Elects nomination. He also said he will seek the nomination of the Reform Party.
Roemer, who is 68, was first elected to Congress in 1980 and as governor of Louisiana in 1987 as a Democrat. During his term in office, he changed his party affiliation and joined the Republicans. He placed third in the 1991 Republican primary, losing to former state Rep. David Duke, best known for his ties with the Ku Klux Klan.
After failing in his bid for a second term, Roemer backed Democrat Edwin Edwards over Duke. Roemer ran again for governor in 1995 but came up short. Since that time, Roemer has served as both president and CEO of Business First Bank in Baton Rouge.
The former governor said he will make the announcement that he will abandon his search for the Republican nomination in a speech in Santa Monica on Thursday. He pointed to his exclusion from debates as one of the reasons he is bailing out of the race for the Republican nomination.
Tomorrow, I will formally end my bid for the GOP nomination for president of the United States, Roemer said in a statement on Wednesday. As the GOP and the networks host debate No. 20-something this evening, they have once again turned their backs on the democratic process by choosing to exclude a former governor and congressman.
Roemer said he intends to seek the nomination of Americans Elect, a new group that already has ballot access in at least 15 states, including Florida, and which is relying on an Internet-based nominating process.
I have decided to take my campaign directly to the American people by declaring my candidacy for Americans Elect, said Roemer, who opened the door to running for the Americans Elect nomination back in December.
Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman is affiliated with the group. David Walker, who served under three presidents and was chief auditor and in charge of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, is also affiliated with Americans Elect and is receiving some buzz as a possible candidate for their nomination.
Roemer said he was also seeking the nomination of the Reform Party. After many discussions with the Reform Party, I am excited to announce my intention of seeking their nomination, Roemer said. There has been an effort in the Reform Party to draft Roemer for their nomination.
Originally founded by supporters of Ross Perot, the Reform Party had some early successes with Perot defeating former Gov. Richard Lamm of Colorado for the partys nomination in 1996 and taking 8 percent in the 1996 presidential election -- enough to get $12.4 million in federal matching funds in the 2000 presidential election. Jesse Ventura was elected as governor of Minnesota in 1998 as a Reform Party candidate. But constant infighting undermined the party and Pat Buchanan dropped out of the Republican primaries to win the Reform Party nomination in 2000 --but he took 0.4 percent in the presidential election and the party lost any chance of getting federal matching funds.
Having gone to the right with the conservative Buchanan in 2000, the Reform Party veered left in 2004 and nominated Ralph Nader. Nader was their candidate on seven state ballots in 2004 -- far from the lines Perot and Buchanan had been on. Mississippi businessman Ted Weill, who passed away in 2009, was the Reform Partys presidential candidate in 2008 but appeared only on the ballot in his home state, where he garnered less than 500 votes. The Reform Party appears to be rebuilding and should be on more state lines in 2012.
Roemer launched an exploratory committee for the Republican nomination back in March, pushing against free trade and for campaign finance reform. Taking a page from Jerry Browns bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992, Roemer has not accepted any contributions of more than $100 and has not been taking PAC money. Ignoring the Iowa caucus -- where he went on to win less than 20 votes -- Roemer focused on the New Hampshire primary where he placed seventh with less than 1 percent.
Despite giving up his quest for the Republican nomination, Roemer shows no signs of changing the focus of his campaign.
It is time to heal our nation and build a coalition of Americans who are fed up with the status quo and the partisan gridlock that infects Washington, Roemer said. Together, we will take on the special interests that control our leaders and end the corruptive influence of money in politics so we can focus on Americas top priority jobs.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
