Woody Jenkins

Infobox Officeholder


name = Woody Jenkins
imagesize =
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1947|1|3|
birth_place = Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
death_date =
death_place =
office = Louisiana State Representative from East Baton Rouge Parish
term_start=1972
term_end=2000
preceded=
succeeded=
nationality = American
occupation = Newspaper publisher and editor; businessman; former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (1972–2000)
residence = Baton Rouge, Louisiana
spouse = Diane Aker Jenkins
children =
parents = Mr. and Mrs. Louis Jenkins
religion =Christian
party= Republican (c. 1962-71, 1994–present)
Democratic (1971-94)
website = [http://www.woodyjenkinsforcongress.com/ Woody Jenkins For Congress]
footnotes =

Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins (born January 3, 1947) is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, and was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 2000.

Early years and education

Jenkins was born in Baton Rouge, but grew up in Rougon in rural Pointe Coupee Parish, where his family was one of the few non-Cajuns. When the family returned to Baton Rouge, the 10-year-old had a heavy French accent. Jenkins’ father, Louis “Little Ory” Jenkins, had been wounded in battle during World War II and was disabled but managed to work for several years in the 1950s as an operator at the Ethyl Corporation plant in North Baton Rouge, a heavily blue collar, industrialized area around Istrouma High School, which was at the time was the largest high school in the state. Jenkins grew up in the area and attended Istrouma, where he ran track, served as student body president, earned a 4.0 average, and was valedictorian of the 530-member senior class. He also served as Speaker of the House at Pelican Boys State.

While in high school, Jenkins worked as a radio newsman at WLCS and in college as an announcer at WAFB-TV, the CBS affiliate in Baton Rouge. While at the Louisiana State University School of Journalism, he became the conservative columnist for the LSU student newspaper, "The Daily Reveille".

At age nineteen, while still in journalism school, Jenkins and his future wife, the former Diane Aker, started a community weekly newspaper, the "North Baton Rouge Journal", which was honored by the Louisiana Press Association for editorial writing.

Legislative career

Jenkins had been a Young Republican since high school. At seventeen, he had been a page for State Representatives Morley A. Hudson and Taylor W. O'Hearn, who were the first Republicans elected to the state legislature since Reconstruction. However, in 1971 he switched to the Democratic Party to run for a Baton Rouge-area seat in the state House. Even though Louisiana was becoming increasingly friendly to Republicans nationally, Democrats still dominated at the state level. At the time, 104 of 105 members of the state House and 38 of 39 members of the state Senate were Democrats. Jenkins had five older opponents in his first race but walked door to door and was elected with 67 percent in the jungle primary. He was sworn in at the age of twenty-four, just a few days before graduating from law school.

During 28 years in the Louisiana House of Representatives (1972 to 2000), Jenkins authored more than 300 major bills that became law, including the Free Enterprise Education Act, which requires all high school students in Louisiana to complete a one-semester course on the free enterprise system; the Private Education Deregulation Act, which deregulated private and Christian schools and legalized home schooling in Louisiana; the Teacher Proficiency Act, which requires all new public school teachers in Louisiana to pass the National Teachers Exam; the TOPS scholarship program, under which more than 100,000 Louisiana students have been granted full college scholarships; the Concealed Carry Act; the Shoot the Burglar Act, and many others. While in the legislature, Jenkins organized and served as Chairman of the Conservative Caucus in the state house, which began with four members in 1972. By 1980, one of their members, John Hainkel, was elected Speaker. He also served as Chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.

He was also elected as a delegate to Louisiana's state constitutional convention, which met from late 1972 to early 1974. He served on the convention's Committee on Bill of Rights and Elections, and he authored much of the new constitution's Declaration of Rights. The proposed constitution was approved by the delegates and ratified by the voters in a state wide election held in April 1974. The document, formally adopted in 1975, is still in effect. See Jenkins, Declaration of Rights, Loyola Law Review, Spring 1975.

When Republicans failed to run candidates for the United States Senate in 1978 against Democratic Senator Bennett Johnston, and again in 1980 against long-time Senator Russell B. Long, Jenkins ran as a Democrat. In 1978, Jenkins won twenty-eight parishes, but Johnston won by 58-42 percent. In the 1980 race, Jenkins criticized Long's support of the Panama Canal Treaty. He said Long was "the most powerful man in the Senate, but he isn't using that power for us." Again, lost by 59-41 percent. In both races, he was outspent by large margins, 5 to 1 in the Johnston race and 10 to 1 in the Long race. In the second of those campaigns, Republican Senator Bob Dole of Kansas cut a campaign commercial for his friend Russell Long.

Jenkins made an effort to promote the influence of conservative Democrats. In 1972, he endorsed maverick Los Angeles mayor Sam Yorty for the party's presidential nomination. In 1976, he was elected as Louisiana's member of the Democratic National Platform Committee where he offered numerous conservative proposals during the committee's meetings in Washington. He was the only member of the Platform Committee to vote against the final version of the platform. In early 1980, Jenkins was elected Democratic National Committeeman from Louisiana over the opposition of then outgoing Governor Edwin Edwards, but Jenkins resigned that position in October 1980 to campaign for Ronald Reagan for president, while Edwards stood with President Jimmy Carter.

In 1994, after 22 years as a Democrat, Jenkins held a news conference with Senator Phil Gramm, a Texas Republican, to announce his decision to change his party affiliation to Republican. Jenkins said that he felt conservatives no longer had any hope of influencing the direction of the Democratic Party.

U. S. Senate campaign of 1996 and aftermath

In 1996, Jenkins ran for the Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Bennett Johnston. Although five other Republicans ran against him in the jungle primary, Jenkins was endorsed as the party's "official" candidate at the Republican state convention in January 1996. He also faced four Democrats and five independents. The field included Attorney General Richard Ieyoub, former Democratic state Treasurer Mary Landrieu of New Orleans, Congressman Jimmy Hayes (a recent convert to the GOP), former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke, and two wealthy businessmen, state Representative Chuck McMains of Baton Rouge and William "Bill" Linder of New Orleans, the brother of Republican Congressman John Linder from Georgia. Republicans decided to rally around Jenkins. Congressman Bob Livingston of New Orleans led the effort, along with former Governor David Treen. Jenkins ran first in the primary with 27 percent of the vote. Jenkins and Landrieu then competed in the November general election. Former President George H. W. Bush came to campaign on Jenkins' behalf, along with Senators John McCain of Arizona, Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, Majority Leader Trent Lott, of Mississippi, and Connie Mack III of Florida. Governor Foster and former Governors Treen, Roemer, and Democrat Jimmie Davis all endorsed Jenkins.

On Election Day, TV network exit polls showed Jenkins leading 51-49 percent. Jenkins' lead held up throughout the evening, but a late surge of votes from heavily Democratic New Orleans, as well as Bill Clinton's strong performance in the state, put Landrieu ahead by 5,788 votes out of 1.7 million cast.

It was the closest U.S. Senate race in the presidential election year of 1996, and one of the closest in Louisiana history. Jenkins carried thirty-eight parishes and exclusive of Orleans parish, he secured 53 percent of the vote. New Orleans gave Landrieu a 100,000 vote margin. The final returns showed Landrieu with 852,945 votes and Jenkins with 847,157 votes.

Jenkins led Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole by more than 134,000 votes state wide. Jenkins' vote total, as of 2004, was the third highest by Republican running in a state wide race ever, topped only by former Governor Foster and current U.S. Senator David Vitter.

After losing this election, Jenkins contested the results. He claimed that at least 7,454 "phantom votes" were cast in 4,000 precincts in the state in 1996. The so-called phantom votes were alleged to have occurred when more votes were cast on the voting machines than voters who signed up to vote in that precinct on election day. Jenkins also claimed that more than 30,000 signatures of voters on election day did not match their signatures on voter registration cards. Claims were also made that individuals were hauled multiple times to various precincts in New Orleans to cast votes without being required to sign the register. The Jenkins forces alleged that buses drove through the inner city and offered payments to anyone who would vote. Moreover, they claimed that further investigations proved that about 1,300 votes were cast by voters whose registered addresses were abandoned public housing units.

Jenkins took his case to the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, claiming that Landrieu's 5,788-vote margin was made possible only by fraudulent votes mostly in New Orleans. In a hearing before the Senate Rules Committee carried live on C-SPAN, Jenkins charged massive election fraud. He petitioned the Senate to unseat Landrieu and to order a new election—and on an 8-7 party-line vote the committee agreed to set up a probe.

Only a month into the probe, however, Democrats claimed that Thomas "Papa Bear" Miller, a detective hired by Jenkins' campaign to investigate claims of fraud, had coached witnesses to claim they had participated in election fraud. The Jenkins campaign denied the charge and said it was a Democratic attempt to distract attention from the massive vote-buying and election fraud they said occurred in the election. Miller had several felony convictions on his record, including a guilty plea to attempted murder. Miller was killed in a drive by shooting in May 2003. [ [http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:annfwY8CFdEJ:ns1.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl%3F20030526h+papa+bear+miller+and+new+orleans&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us&client=safari Witness protection: One family's experience] The Louisiana Weekly, May 26, 2003] The Democrats walked out of the probe in protest, but the probe continued. [cite news |first=James |last=Carney |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=No Saints in New Orleans |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986643,00.html |work=Time |publisher= |date=1997-07-07 |accessdate=2008-04-10 ]

In October 1997, after a ten-month investigation, the committee allowed Landrieu's victory to stand. It concluded that while there were numerous irregularities, it was impossible to determine if they were egregious enough to change the outcome. The committee thus declined to call a special election, ending Landrieu's qualified status as the state's junior senator.

In 1999, Jenkins ran for Commissioner of Elections against incumbent Democrat Jerry Fowler, whom Jenkins had alleged was part of the election fraud in 1996. Jenkins pledged to clean up elections in Louisiana and create a Voter Fraud Unit. In the primary, Jenkins ran first and fellow Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell finished in second place. Fowler ran third and was eliminated.

In the run-off between Jenkins and Terrell, the first statewide run-off between two Republicans in the history of Louisiana's open elections system, Terrell won handily. She took office and made many changes, including creation of a Voter Fraud Unit, which successfully prosecuted numerous cases of voter fraud.

Later developments

In January 2000, Jenkins retired from the Louisiana House after twenty-eight years in office. In 2002, Mrs. Terrell was a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, matched against Landrieu, in a race that also included state Representative Tony Perkins, Jenkins' 1996 campaign manager. Jenkins endorsed Perkins in the primary. In the runoff between Terrell and Landrieu, Jenkins endorsed Terrell, but Landrieu was elected to her second term.

Jenkins and Richey helped to organize David Vitter's grassroots campaign in 2004, when Vitter became the first Republican ever elected to the United States Senate from Louisiana.

In private life, Jenkins has been active in efforts to assist refugees and poor people in Latin America. Jenkins has visited Latin America more than sixty times.

Jenkins served as CEO for WBTR-TV in Baton Rouge from 1987 to 2004. He was named to the LSU School of Journalism Hall of Fame in 1991; "Legislator of the Year" by the National Taxpayers Union, 1977, and Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, 1990; 96 percent rating, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry; recipient, Winston Churchill Award, Council for National Policy, 1990; producer, "Baton Rouge Today", named "Outstanding Local News Program in the U.S." by Community Broadcasters Association, 1992; named "Louisiana's Pro-Family, Pro-Life Champion" by Christian Coalition of Louisiana for his service in the legislature; listed in "Who's Who in America"; B.A., Journalism, Juris Doctor, LSU.

Jenkins and Daniel Duggan started the "Central City News" in 2005. In 2006, they started the "Zachary Post". In 2007, Duggan's company acquired the "South Baton Rouge Journal". Jenkins serves as editor of all three papers. In 2006, Jenkins was honored by the National Newspaper Association with 3rd Place for Best Newspaper Column. In 2007, the Louisiana Press Association awarded the Central City News 2nd Place in the state for General Excellence.

U.S. House special election in Louisiana's 6th District (2008)

On January 16, 2008 U.S. Representative Richard Hugh Baker, representing Louisiana's 6th congressional district, announced that he would soon resign from Congress. He vacated the seat on February 2. As a result, Governor Bobby Jindal called a special election to fill the vacancy. The Republican and Democratic primaries were held on March 8, with the run-off on April 5, with the general election following on May 3.

On January 17, 2008, Jenkins announced his candidacy [ [http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/13936252.html The Advocate] : Washington Watch for January 21, 2008] for the Republican Party (GOP) nomination in the special election. Jenkins received the endorsements of Pat Toomey's Club for Growth Political Action Committee, [ [http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2008/02/club_pac_endorses_jenkins_in_l.php Club PAC Endorses Jenkins in LA-06] ] and Dr. James Dobson, [ [http://www.lafamilyforum.us/FFarchives/v10i8.htm Dr. Dobson Endorses Jenkins in LA-06] ] founder of Focus on the Family. He also received the endorsement of the East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Party. [ [http://www.lanewslink.com/archives.php?id=4285 Jenkins Endorsed by EBRP GOP] ] Jenkins later received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. [ [http://www.woodyjenkinsforcongress.com/component.cfm?new=43 Jenkins Endorsed by NRA] ]

In the primary, he faced former Baker aide Paul Sawyer; [http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/13828767.html?index=18&c=y The Advocate: Richard Baker to resign] ] Laurinda L. Calongne, president of Robert Rose Consulting; [http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/2008/jan/24/428/ BusinessReport.com: Sixth District race: Kopplin in, Taylor out, Roemer undecided] ] and Michael Cloonan, a veteran of the United States Navy. [http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/01/one_more_in_6th_district_no_ch.html Two more candidates in 6th Congressional District; no change in 1st - New Orleans News - NOLA.com ] ]

Jenkins led in public opinion polls prior to the March 8 primary, but fell 84 votes short of an outright majority to win the GOP nomination. Calongne, with 7,584 ballots (25 percent), finished second and forced Jenkins, with 14,849 votes (just under 50 percent), into a runoff. Sawyer trailed with 6,924 (23 percent). The critical balance of 425 votes (1 percent) was held by Michael Cloonan of East Feliciana Parish. [ [http://www.thedeadpelican.com/2008/woodypoll2.htm Dead Pelican polls] ]

In the April 5 Republican run-off against Calongne, Jenkins won handily, taking 15,179 (62 percent) of the vote to Calongne's 9,327 (38 percent) votes. [http://electionresults.sos.louisiana.gov/040508state.htm Louisiana Secretary of State Unofficial Election Results Inquiry Results for Election Date:] 2008-04-05] He faced Democratic State Representative Don Cazayoux of New Roads in the special election. Jenkins was immediately endorsed by Governor Jindal. [ [http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/17449859.html Jindal Endorses Jenkins For 6th District Seat] ]

In Congress, Senator David Vitter and the three Republicans in Louisiana's House delegation--Jim McCrery, Rodney Alexander and Charles Boustany endorsed Jenkins. [ [http://www.lanewslink.com/print.php?article=4739 Jindal, Vitter, GOP Congressmen, Party: All Endorse Jenkins and Scalise] ] Jenkins was also supported by House Minority Leader John Boehner, Minority Whip Roy Blunt, and Assistant Whip Eric Cantor. On April 25, former U.S. Senator John Breaux, now a resident of Maryland, endorsed Cazayoux on grounds that the self-styled "John Breaux Democrat" could work across party lines. In 1996, Breaux had also opposed Jenkins in the race against Mary Landrieu. [ [http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/18234019.html 2theadvocate.com | Legislature & Politics | Breaux endorses Cazayoux — Baton Rouge, LA ] ]

Despite support from the state Republican establishment, some Republicans were cool toward Jenkins. Some considered him a second-tier candidate despite his long tenure in the state legislature, his near-victory in the Senate race a decade earlier, and support among social conservatives in the Louisiana GOP. The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans, reportedly tied his financial aid to meeting certain financial benchmarks, which was unusual considering that the GOP had held this seat since 1975. Additionally, Jenkins faced potential problems from past ties to David Duke. Before the 1996 Senate general election, Jenkins' campaign retained a firm to do automated phone calls to voters. The firm had previously done work for Duke. He was fined $3,000 by the Federal Election Commission because the purchase was paid for by his ad agency instead of directly by the campaign. [cite news |first=Susan |last=Davis |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Democrats' Hopes Rise for House Seat |url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB120753339432393979-5FDA1XKiT_S2r2ovu7jEVkk0RBc_20080506.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top |work=Wall Street Journal |publisher= |date=2008-04-07 |accessdate=2008-04-08 ] Later Jenkins later learned that Duke received a commission from the firm he had hired, but said he had no knowledge that Duke would profit from the transaction. [cite news|first=Associated Press|title=David Duke’s name enters GOP race|url=http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2008/feb/27/david-dukes-name-enters-gop-race/|work=Natchez Democrat|date=2008-02-27|accessdate=2008-04-10] However, his signed agreement with the FEC admitted that he knew Duke had used the same firm. [ [http://eqs.sdrdc.com/eqsdocs/0000016F.pdf Conciliation agreement in Jenkins' FEC case] ]

Cazayoux won the special election on May 3, 2008, with 49,702 votes (49.2 percent) to Jenkins' 46,741 votes (46.3 percent). An Independent Republican candidate and two minor candidates held the remaining 4.5 percent of the vote. Jenkins ran best in the City of Central, where he received 77 percent of the votes cast, and Livingston Parish, a heavily Republican suburban parish near Baton Rouge, where he received 72 percent. However, Cazayoux won by almost 5,000 votes in Jenkins' own East Baton Rouge Parish, where an influx of African American voters arrived after Hurricane Katrina. [ [http://electionresults.sos.louisiana.gov/050308state.htm Louisiana Secretary of State-Elections Inquiry ] ] . White voters constitute 57 percent of the voters in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Jenkins was expected to seek a rematch against Cazayoux in the election for the full term in Congress in the fall of 2008 but announced instead that he would support Republican state Sen. Bill Cassidy.

On Sunday, May 18, 2008, Jenkins was elected as Louisiana's representative on the Platform Committee at the Republican National Convention.

ee also

*Louisiana's 6th congressional district special election, 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.policycounsel.org/18856/41001.html?*session*id*key*=*session*id*val* The National Policy Council] Biography
* [http://www.woodyjenkinsforcongress.com/ Woody Jenkins Louisiana 6th Congressional District] Official Website
* [http://www.centralcitynews.net/?haspdf=1 Central City News]
* [http://www.zacharypost.com/?haspdf=1 Zachary Post]
* [http://www.southbatonrougejournal.com/?haspdf=1 South Baton Rouge Journal]
* [http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/lowry200411021325.asp The Big Sleazy: Politics in New Orleans, Louisiana.]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_199911/ai_n8861747 Woody Jenkins' second chance]