BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Louisiana’s Democratic Party ousted its leader Saturday and replaced him with New Orleans state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, as the party struggles to regain its footing in a state that has shifted to the GOP in recent elections.
The Democratic Party’s governing body chose Peterson for the chairman’s job, rather than return Claude “Buddy” Leach to a new four-year term. Peterson had 85 votes; Leach had 75.
As party chair, Peterson will lead fundraising and campaign efforts through the fall congressional elections. Democrats hope to expand their U.S. House seats in the state from the one New Orleans-based seat the party holds currently.
Leach, 78, a former congressman and state lawmaker, was praised for stabilizing the party’s finances and internal organization, but he faced criticism from some who felt he’s not done enough to reverse the party’s slide.
“How does our party return to respectability? The answer is as simple as the question. We need a new party leader,” said James Bullman, a member of the Democratic State Central Committee from Baton Rouge who nominated Peterson.
The Democratic Party has faced a string of losses, the inability to field a full slate of candidates in the last statewide election and a sizable dip in fundraising in recent years.
Peterson, 42, a state lawmaker for more than a decade, said Democrats need to expand their withered grassroots efforts, restarting idle parish committees and maximizing the use of social media and other communications outlets to rebuild support.
“We are going to grow together, and we are going to win together in the fall,” she said.
State central committee members voted in secret, on handwritten ballots that were tallied by party staff members. Leach read the results and announced, “You now have a new chair,” before handing the gavel to Peterson, who took over immediately and oversaw elections for the remaining party leadership posts.
Leach, a wealthy lawyer and cattleman from Leesville, was selected state Democratic Party chairman in a 2010 special election. He described hiring an accountant, obtaining an insurance policy to protect the party against fraud and settling outstanding sexual harassment and payroll lawsuits left from the tenure of a previous leader. He said the state party has no outstanding debts.
“Buddy has put this party on his back. He kept the doors open,” said Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, who supported Leach as chairman.
Peterson praised Leach’s tenure: “We had an amazing transitional leader. He’s invested human and financial resources.”
Democrats couldn’t attract a well-funded challenger to Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in 2011, or even a full slate of candidates for all seven statewide positions on the ballot. The GOP holds those elected jobs, and has taken the majorities in both the state House and Senate.
In the fall congressional elections, party leaders have been focusing much of their attention on trying to take the northwest Louisiana seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. John Fleming. They also have been seeking Democratic candidates for the newly redrawn district that covers Lake Charles and Lafayette, which is expected to be a battle between Republican U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany and Jeff Landry, who have been thrown into one district because the state lost a congressional seat.
 
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