Public Service Commissioner Mike Francis, a Crowley Republican, said he will run for secretary of state this fall, joining a growing field of candidates seeking to unseat incumbent Kyle Ardoin.
Francis said in an interview that he’s been meeting with clerks of court, who run elections in their respective parishes, and that many of them asked him to run.
Ardoin, also a Republican, took over from previous Secretary of State Tom Schedler in 2018 after Schedler resigned amid scandal. He was elected to a full term in 2019, beating out Democrat Gwen Collins-Greenup in a runoff with 59% of the vote.
Francis said he wants to run the office in a “bottom-up” style, supporting the clerks who administer the elections.
“It’s going to be 100% leadership,” he said. “And listening to the people who have the answers.”
Francis said he’s not going to resign from his PSC job, which is considered part-time, to run. The primary election is Oct. 14, followed by a Nov. 18 runoff if necessary. Francis’ PSC term isn’t up until 2028.
Also challenging Ardoin is Brandon Trosclair, a Republican grocery store owner in Ascension Parish who has aligned himself with a movement of conservative activists who believe there has been widespread fraud in Louisiana’s elections, something that election officials and experts say is not true.
Francis self-funded much of his campaign to win his seat on the PSC in 2016. He won re-election to the seat, which spans much of southwest Louisiana and Acadiana, last fall. He is retired from running an oil drilling firm. The commission regulates utilities like Entergy and water companies.
He said he’s prepared to pour in more of his own money in the secretary of state’s race to make up any gap in fundraising. He had only $19,000 on hand at last check. Ardoin had $321,000 on hand.
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