Former Gov. Buddy Roemer of Louisiana shows no signs of heading to the political sidelines despite pulling out of the presidential race in May.
Roemer first set his eyes on the Republican nomination but, after being left out of the debates, he went third party as he attempted to snag the nomination with Americans Elect and the Reform Party. With Americans Elect opting not to run a presidential candidate in 2012, Roemer ended his presidential bid.
This week, Roemer announced that he was launching a new group, the Reform Project, which will continue his fight over the issues he raised in his campaign -- namely, political and campaign finance reform. Roemer also vowed to fight for term limits for elected federal officials.
The Reform Project is a nonpartisan, anti-corruption organization fighting both the unfair use of money in our political system and the undemocratic developments occurring in our republic, Roemer announced to supporters in an email sent out this week. We will bring about reform through the use of technology and by the power of the people.
Roemer also unveiled a video in which he talks about why he founded the new nonprofit group.
Looking back at his presidential campaign, Roemer insisted that he had scored a victory for his cause, maintaining that he had gained a place at the table in the national debate for his issues. We ran one heck of a campaign, Roemer insisted, though he added that he was a lousy candidate.
Roemer was elected to the U.S. House in 1980 as a Democrat before running for governor in 1987. During his term in Baton Rouge, Roemer jumped over to the Republicans but lost out in his bid for a second term in 1991. Roemer backed Democrat Edwin Edwards over the Republican who bested him in the primary -- former state Rep. David Duke, who had been affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan. After an unsuccessful comeback attempt in 1995 for another term as governor, Roemer went on to serve as both president and CEO of Business First Bank in Baton Rouge. While he remained on the political sidelines for a decade, Roemer re-emerged in 2008 as a prominent supporter of John McCains presidential bid before launching his own campaign in 2012.
Despite his lack of success on the campaign trail, Roemer shows no signs of heading back to the political sidelines.
This soft launch of the Reform Project is only the beginning, Roemer insisted. We are in the process of building a highly-interactive website that will be launched next month. This website will help organize and activate a powerful grassroots movement that will reform America. Together, we will combat the corruption and call out our elected officials who sell out to the special interests and we will praise those who put their country first.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
