Woody Jenkins

Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins
Louisiana State Representative from East Baton Rouge Parish
In office 1972–2000
Personal details
Born	(1947-01-03) January 3, 1947 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Political party	Democrat-turned-Republican
Spouse	Diane Aker Jenkins
Parent(s)	Mr. and Mrs. Louis Jenkins
Residence(s)	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Occupation	Newspaper publisher and editor; businessman, candidate for the United States House of Representatives
Though he served for twenty-eight years in the Louisiana House of Representatives, Jenkins has been defeated three times for the United States Senate. He is now a candidate for the United States House of Representatives.

Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins (born January 3, 1947) is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge who was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972-2000. He is a Republican candidate in the upcoming special election to succeed former U.S. Representative Richard Hugh Baker in the Sixth Congressional District. Baker, also a Republican, resigned his seat on February 2, 2008 to enter private business. Jenkins switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1994.

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. Jenkins was active in the Key Club, a youth affiliate of Kiwanis International, through which he met his friend Daniel Wesley Richey (born 1948) of Ferriday in Concordia Parish. Jenkins helped to engineer Richey's election as national president of the organization in 1965. In 1976, Richey would join Jenkins for a single term as a member of the Louisiana House.

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 seventeen, Jenkins was a legislative page in the Louisiana House for State Representatives Morley A. Hudson and Taylor W. O'Hearn, both of Shreveport and the first Republican members of the body since Reconstruction.

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.

Switching to the Democratic Party

Jenkins had been a Young Republican since high school but switched to Democrat in 1971 to run for the legislature. At that time, 104 of 105 members of the Louisiana 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 primary. He was twenty-four. Jenkins was sworn in at the State Capitol in May 1972, a few days before he graduated from the LSU Law School. In the legislature, Jenkins became a leader of conservatives.

He was also elected as a delegate to Louisiana's state constitutional convention, which met in 1973. 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 statewide election held in April 1974. It is referred to as the Louisiana Constitution of 1975 and is still in effect. Provisions authored by Jenkins include the Right to Property and Right to Privacy sections of the Declaration of Rights, as well as the prohibition on excessive penalties and euthanasia. He also authored provisions in the General Government section which prohibit taxpayer funding of elections or use of tax funds to influence the outcome of an election. (See Loyola Law Review, Spring 1975: Declaration of Rights by Louis Jenkins)

U. S. Senate campaigns of 1978 and 1980

When Republicans failed to run candidates for the United States Senate in 1978 against Democratic Senator J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., and again in 1980 against longtime Senator Russell B. Long, Jenkins ran as a Democrat. In 1978, Jenkins campaigned for more than a year and travelled to all sixty-four Louisiana parishes. He organized conservative and Christian voters. He won twenty-eight parishes and carried a majority of the state's white voters, but Johnson 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, Jenkins carried nearly half the parishes, but 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 Robert J. "Bob" Dole of Kansas cut a campaign commercial for his friend Russell Long. Sixteen years later, Dole would campaign for Jenkins' election to the seat that Johnston was vacating.

A conservative within Democratic ranks

While a Democrat, Jenkins was active in the Democratic Party and made an effort to promote the influence of conservatives. In 1972, he endorsed maverick Los Angeles Mayor Samuel W. Yorty, a conservative, 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 Washington Edwards, but Jenkins resigned that position in October 1980 to campaign for Ronald W. Reagan for President, while former Governor Edwards stood with President Jimmy Carter.

In the legislature, Jenkins was a leader of efforts to limit state taxes and spending and to promote what were known as "family values". He founded the Conservative Caucus in the state House in 1972. Beginning with four legislators, the group grew and by 1980, one of their members, John Hainkel, a Democrat who later switched to Republican affiliation, was elected Speaker of the House. Jenkins was one of six legislators from across the nation who in 1975 founded the American Legislative Exchange Council. He was chairman of the group from 1977-1978. The group now includes more than two thousand five hundred legislators. Jenkins authored the Free Enterprise Education Act of 1976; the Student Proficiency Act, which required high school seniors to pass a state exit exam; the Private Education Deregulation Act of 1980, which deregulated private schools and legalized home schooling in the state.

Jenkins also assembled the Independent Legislative Study Group (ILSG), an informal mix of conservatives which met early each morning when the House was in session to review (1) proposed legislation before the committees for that day and (2) the bills slated for final passage that afternoon on the House floor. Dan Richey recalled, "the ILSG enabled us to maximize our firepower against the Edwards machine. We seldom won, but had a good time setting small fires all over the place."

Jenkins' Human Life Act of 1990 prohibited abortion and drew the national media to Baton Rouge. Democrat-turned-Republican Governor Charles E. "Buddy" Roemer, III, vetoed the bill as overly stringent, but the House overrode the veto -- the first time in more than a century that a governor had been so thwarted. The Senate narrowly sustained the veto. Jenkins served as chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations from 1988 to 1992.

Switching to the Republican Party

In 1994, after twenty-two years as a Democrat, Jenkins held a news conference with Senator William Phillip 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. In 1995, Jenkins endorsed a little-known state senator, Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr., for governor. Foster was elected, and Jenkins was mentioned as a possible candidate for Speaker of the House.

U. S. Senate campaign of 1996

In 1996, Jenkins ran for the Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Bennett Johnston. Once again a Republican, Jenkins won the party's nomination at the Republican state convention in January 1996 and entered the jungle primary. He faced five other Republicans, 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 Robert L. "Bob" Livingston of New Orleans led the effort, along with former Governor David C. Treen of St. Tammany Parish. 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 Chester Trent Lott, Jr., of Mississippi, and Connie Mack of Florida. Governor Foster and former Governors Treen, Roemer, and Democrat James Houston "Jimmie" Davis all endorsed Jenkins.

Landrieu's father, Maurice "Moon" Landrieu, had served as mayor of New Orleans from 1970-1978 and was Secretary of HUD in the Cabinet of President Carter, who carried Louisiana in 1976. President Bill Clinton came to the state twice on Landrieu's behalf, along with several Democratic senators.

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 Orleans Parish put Landrieu ahead. The final result: Landrieu beat Jenkins 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 ballots.

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

Challenge to the 1996 election results

After losing this election, Jenkins contested the results.

Jenkins' supporters have claimed that at least 7,454 "phantom votes" were cast in 4,000 precincts in the state in 1996. Claims were also made that individuals were hauled multiple times to various precincts 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.

Claiming 8,754 fraudulent votes in an election with only a 5,788 vote margin (although such claims were vigorously disputed), Woody Jenkins maintained there was sufficient proof to overturn the election.

Jenkins took his case to the Republican-dominated U.S. Senate, and in a hearing before the Senate Rules Committee carried live on C-SPAN, charged massive election fraud. He petitioned the Senate to prevent the seating of Senator-elect Landrieu and to order a new election—and on an 8-7 party-line vote the committee agreed to set up a probe. After a ten-month investigation, in October 1997, the committee allowed the results to stand.

In 1999, Jenkins ran for Louisiana commissioner of elections, a statewide office, 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, fellow Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell finished in second place, and Fowler ran third and was eliminated.

In the runoff between Jenkins and Terrell, the first statewide runoff 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 and organized efforts to aid earthquake victims in Mexico City, hurricane victims in the Yucatan Peninsula and Honduras, refugees from Nicaragua, and survivors of the volcano in Armero, Colombia. He and his wife founded a hospital for the Miskito Indians in eastern Honduras and medical clinics in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. They organized a project that has delivered more than 500,000 Christmas gift boxes to poor children in twenty-two countries of Latin America since 1984. Jenkins has visited Latin America more than sixty times.

Jenkins served as CEO for WBTR-TV 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.

Community Newspapers

Jenkins and Daniel Duggan started the Central City News (circulation 14,000) in 2005 in the new City of Central (population 30,000). In 2006, they started the Zachary Post (circulation 10,000) in the City of Zachary (pop. 13,000). In 2007, Duggan's company acquired the South Baton Rouge Journal (circulation 30,000) in the southern part of Baton Rouge. 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.

Jenkins accolades

Dan Richey described the dimunitive Jenkins as follows:

"What a giant! While still in his twenties, Woody Jenkins was elected to the Louisiana House and the Louisiana Constitutional Convention, where he authored the Declaration of Rights, which provides greater liberties to citizens than even the U. S. Bill of Rights. He was a one-man legislative gang against the legions of political pilferers during the four terms of Edwin Edwards. When I served in the House (1976-1980) the five most feared words to an Edwards ally at the podium presenting political pabulum was Speaker "Bubba" Henry's exhortation, 'Mr. Jenkins for a question.'" Jenkins seemed determined to afflict the comfortable in the legislative process.

"Jenkins has made a major contribution to Louisiana constitutional law. The Louisiana Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal have cited his debate at the state's constitutional convention on hundreds of occasions, and his article in the Loyola Law Review (May 1975) is considered one of the most important documents for understanding the Declaration of Rights in Louisiana's Constitution. Under the Free Enterprise Education Act, which Jenkins authored in 1976, more than 3 million Louisiana citizens have taken a one-semester course to understand how the free enterprise system works, including the law of supply and demand and the role of profits in stimulating economic growth. The Teacher Proficiency Act, which he authored in 1976, has required all new public school teachers in Louisiana to pass the National Teachers Examination. The Private Education Deregulation Act, which Jenkins authored in 1980, has led to the formation of more than 300 private and Christian schools in Louisiana. The act also legalized home education for the first time in Louisiana, and more than 12,000 students a year now study in home school programs in the state. His advocacy of freedom of choice in health led to bills which succeeded in legalizing chiropractic care, midwifery, and other professions. Jenkins' strong Right to Life legislation, which narrowly failed to become law in 1990 after the state Senate failed by two votes to override the veto of Governor Roemer, was approved by the legislature in 2006 and is now state law."

2008

On January 16, 2008 Congressman Richard Baker 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 will be held March 8, with a runoff, if necessary, April 5. The general election will be held May 3. On January 17, 2008, Jenkins announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the special election. Jenkins has recieved the endorsements of the Club for Growth Political Action Committee, and Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family. In the primary, he must face off against former Baker aide Paul Sawyer, Laurinda L. Calongne; president of Robert Rose Consulting and Naval Veteren Michael Cloonan.

External links

• The National Policy Council Biography.
• Woody Jenkins Louisiana 6th Congressional District Official Site
• The Big Sleazy: Politics in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Woody Jenkins' second chance

Loyola Law Review, Spring 1975: Declaration of Rights by Louis Jenkins