Party offices Francis identifies as a
fiscal and
social conservative. From 1995 onward, he grew involved in a leadership dispute between the party's Christian conservative wing—which he led—and the moderate wing led by Louisiana Governor
Mike Foster. That year the State Central Committee voted to abolish the state's Republican presidential primary and replace it with caucuses to be held a week before the 1996
Iowa caucuses, which had long been the earliest-held caucuses in election cycles in the country. Francis supported the move, arguing it would improve the image of the state Republican Party and boost the influence of the
South in national Republican politics. Iowa Republicans suspected that the change was designed to improve the prospects of
Phil Gramm, Francis' preferred candidate. Most of the major Republican candidates skipped the caucuses, which were won by
Pat Buchanan. Challenged by Republicans upset with the caucuses, he narrowly won a 1996 central committee run-off vote to retain his chairmanship. In 1997 the
Louisiana State Legislature unanimously passed a bill adding six seats to the central committee. Fearful that the new seats would be filled by moderates and thus undo the majority the Christian conservatives had on the committee, Francis called on Republican
State Senate leader
John J. Hainkel Jr. to resign and sued the governor to have the bill reversed. In 1999 Francis became involved in another dispute between the party's wings after he supported another proposal to schedule an early presidential caucus before the 2000 Iowa caucuses. In response, the State Council of the Republican Party—which was responsible for the party's finances—removed his check-writing, hiring, and firing privileges. Governor Foster asked the central committee to reconsider its caucuses scheduling and return to the use of a primary election, but Francis refused, saying "Our honor is at stake." Iowa Republicans convinced most major presidential candidates to declare their abstention from the caucuses. In December, Foster's allies overruled Francis in a meeting of the central committee and canceled the caucuses. Francis' preferred candidate,
Gary Bauer, lost the subsequent primary. Francis decided to not seek the central committee chairmanship in 2000 but still sought a seat on the committee. He was defeated in the March committee elections as was his preferred successor to the chair.
Elections and public office In 1996 Francis launched a candidacy in a special election to win the vacant state senate seat for the 25th district. He campaigned on "
smaller government" and lowering taxes, placing second in the first election to State Representative Gerald Theunissen, a Democrat. A
run-off election was held in September which he lost. He lost a special election to become the
Louisiana Secretary of State to fellow
Republican Jay Dardenne in September 2006. In the November 2016 elections, Francis won a seat on the
Louisiana Public Service Commission for the 4th district, garnering 175,074 votes (54 percent) and defeating two other candidates. The district includes
Acadia,
Avoyelles,
Beauregard,
Calcasieu,
Cameron,
Evangeline,
Grant,
Jefferson Davis,
LaSalle,
Rapides,
St. Landry,
Vermilion and
Vernon parishes in whole, as well as parts of
Catahoula,
Iberia and
Sabine parishes. for a term lasting until December 31, 2022. == References ==