Candidates have begun lining up to replace U.S. Sen. David Vitter.
While some have officially joined the race, others have expressed their intentions.
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, D-Elm Grove, says he is eyeing the Senate seat.
“I have some interest,” he said in a phone interview. “Louisiana needs someone that will speak up and has a backbone.”
Campbell is no stranger to politics; he has served as a member of the Public Service Commission since 2003. Prior to that, he served as a state Senator for district 36 for 27 years.
Two of his greatest accomplishments while serving in the legislature was creating a $40 million trust fund from the gaming revenue for Bossier Schools and a billion dollar trust fund from the tobacco settlement to invest in education for parishes such as Webster.
Campbell says that while many might think he is for passing taxes, that’s far from the truth.
“I voted for fewer taxes that most anyone while in the legislature,” he said. “ I voted 98 percent of the time and rarely missed a vote.”
In Washington, Campbell says he would try to bring common sense to Congress.
“To me it looks like it’s polarized,” he said. “You’ve people that are against everything, but don’t have any suggestions on how to get things going.”
Being able to work with both Democrats and Republicans and finding a medium is what Campbell believes will help our country work best.
“I don’t think there is a lot of compromising going on right now,” he said. “I think it’s just seeing whichever way you’re on and not willing to give.”
Campbell says he has a strong record of not wasting taxpayer’s money, and if elected, that record would continue.
For the last few years, he’s lived by the slogan “Work hard, talk straight and make sense” and says it sums up what he has been able to do while working for the people.
Campbell has only shown interest in the seat, but a poll conducted by Survey USA for the Make Louisiana Proud PAC shows Campbell in the lead with 23 percent of other potential candidates.
The poll included State Treasurer John Kennedy (R) with 21 percent, Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle (R) with 12 percent, U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany (R) with 10 percent, Rob Maness (R) with 9 percent and U.S. Rep. John Fleming (R) with 6 percent.
U.S. Reps. John Fleming and Charles Boustany and retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness are the only candidates to officially enter the race.
Campbell says he plans on making a decision after the start of the New Year.