Richard Ieyoub
Encyclopedia
Richard Phillip Ieyoub, Sr. (born August 11, 1944), is a Baton Rouge lawyer and a Democratic politician who was the attorney general
of Louisiana
from 1992 to 2004. Ieyoub was the Calcasieu Parish district attorney
in Lake Charles
from 1984 to 1992, and is presently with the Baton Rouge firm Couhig Partners. Ieyoub, a political personality allied with his party's liberal wing, finished in a disappointing third place in the nonpartisan blanket primary for the U.S. Senate
in 1996, and for the Louisiana governorship in 2003.
extraction, and was born in Lake Charles to Phillip Assad Ieyoub and the former Virginia Khoury. He graduated in 1962 from Lake Charles High School, later renamed Lake Charles Boston High School and since closed.
Ieyoub received his bachelor's degree
in history
from McNeese State University
(then College) in Lake Charles in 1968, and his Juris Doctor
degree from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge in 1972. He was admitted to the bar and licensed to practice in Louisiana, and before the United States Supreme Court.
Early in his career, Ieyoub was a special prosecutor
for the man whom he would succeed as attorney general, fellow Democrat William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr.
, of New Orleans. Ieyoub was affiliated with the Lake Charles firm Baggett, McCall, Singleton, Ranier, and later established a solo practice. He also instructed criminal law on occasion at McNeese State. Ieyoub is a member of the Sierra Club
.
Ieyoub was elected district attorney of Calcasieu Parish in 1984 and was reelected without opposition in 1990. During his tenure as district attorney, he headed the national Commission on Model State Drug Laws.
and Winston Riddick, and the principal Republican choice, former state Representative and state Senator Bernard J. "Ben" Bagert, Jr.
, of New Orleans. Ieyoub led the field with 447,423 votes (31 percent) to Bagert's 312,960 (22 percent), Kennedy's 288,104 (20 percent), and Riddick's 224,200 (16 percent). Two other Republicans also ran and divided 11 percent of the primary vote.
Ieyoub and Bagert went into the general election
at the same time that former Governor Edwin Washington Edwards was being challenged by the onetime leader of the Ku Klux Klan
, then state Representative David Duke
of Jefferson Parish. Ieyoub defeated Bagert by a wider margin than that by which Edwards finished off Duke. The Calcasieu district attorney won the race by a margin of more than two to one: 1,147,592 (69 percent) to 517,660 (31 percent). Bagert even lost his own Orleans Parish in the election; the defeat ended Bagert's long career in state politics. Ieyoub's 1,147,592 vote tally was the highest numerical total ever obtained by a statewide candidate in Louisiana history until that time. The huge level of support may have given Ieyoub the idea that higher office lay in his future.
In 1995, Ieyoub won by an even larger margin than his historic showing in 1991. He polled 1,019,041 votes (76 percent) to 137,372 votes (10 percent) for the Republican Edward L. "Eddie" Tarpley, Jr. (born 1953), then the 35th district attorney of Grant Parish based in Colfax
in north Louisiana, who barely finished in second place. Tarpley, an anti-gambling activist, in fact lost even his own Grant Parish to Ieyoub. Two other candidates received the remaining 14 percent of the vote.
As attorney general, Ieyoub won a multimillion dollar tobacco settlement for the state of Louisiana as compensation for the health care costs of smokers. Ieyoub took a leading role in the formulation of the theory of parens patriae, which allows the state to sue on behalf of its citizens. The theory has implications beyond the tobacco litigation, and may be employed in the future if the states jointly challenge the possession of firearms.
Attorney General Ieyoub cleared Fred Baden
of wrongdoing stemming from an audit of municipal books in Pineville
, where Baden served as mayor from 1970-1998. Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle
claimed that Ieyoub had ignored critical evidence that would have found Baden guilty of malfeasance
in office. However, Ieyoub reported that a lengthy investigation concluded "there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution." Baden said at the time that he knew he would be cleared of the allegations. "I felt all along that I would be cleared of these allegations. ... I never did anything wrong. We never took anything from the city that we didn't earn."
Ieyoub claimed among his major accomplishments as attorney general the promotion of "initiatives that protect our children and help our children lead a better quality of life." He was active in the fight against narcotics through the Louisiana Coordinating Council on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Abuse. Ieyoub worked closely with the National Council Against Drinking and Driving. His office has been nationally recognized for combating underage drinking and drunken driving. He established a statewide school safety program and created a high-technology unit that targets sexual predators on the Internet.
Ieyoub was a member of the National Association of Attorneys General.
of New Orleans. Two Republican candidates were also considered major players, David Duke again and state Representative Louis E. "Woody" Jenkins of Baton Rouge, who had lost Senate races as a Democrat to Johnston in 1978 and to the retired legendary Russell B. Long
in 1980.
Jenkins led the field in the primary with 322,244 votes (26 percent). Landrieu trailed with 264,268 (22 percent). Ieyoub followed with 250,682 (20 percent), and Duke trailed with 141,489 (12 percent). All of the Republican candidates on the ballot received a total of 57 percent of the vote, whereas Landrieu and Ieyoub, the only Democrats, divided the remaining 43 percent. Jenkins hence advanced to the general election against Landrieu, with Ieyoub out of the running by just under 14,000 votes. Jenkins was handicapped, however, by the weakness in Louisiana of the Republican presidential nominee, former Senator Bob Dole
of Kansas
. Dole lost Louisiana to incumbent President Bill Clinton
, and while Jenkins ran well ahead of Dole on the Republican ticket, he fell short once again. Landrieu would become Johnston's preferred successor in the Senate.
Ieyoub, however, believed that "dirty tricks" by the Landrieu forces denied him the coveted second spot in the Senate general election. Later, Jenkins would accuse the Landrieu organization of having arranged for "dead persons" to cast pivotal ballots in Orleans Parish. Jenkins attempted to block Landrieu's swearing in, but Senate Republicans, led by Trent Lott, Jr.
of Mississippi
voted to seat Landrieu based on the state's election certification.
Ieyoub was elected to his third term as attorney general in 1999 without opposition.
In 2003, Ieyoub entered the gubernatorial race in an effort to succeed term-limited Republican Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
As a gubernatorial candidate, Attorney General Ieyoub declared himself a NASCAR fan, at least from the economic development consideration if not personal interest. "I'm a NASCAR fan from the standpoint of what it can do for economic development in Louisiana. It's been a tremendous economic development help for North Carolina
, Florida
, and other states that have NASCAR tracks," Ieyoub said.
Ieyoub picked up many endorsements in his gubernatorial bid, including the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, the AFL-CIO
, the City Marshals Association, and Black Organization for Leadership Development (BOLD) in New Orleans.
Whereas Ieyoub had competed with Landrieu for Democratic base votes for the Senate in 1996, he was in competition with two Democrats for such votes in 2003: outgoing Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
and former Congressman Anthony Claude "Buddy" Leach, Jr., who had residences in his hometown of Leesville
as well as Ieyoub's own Lake Charles.
Meanwhile, the Republican frontrunner, Bobby Jindal
, later a congressman from the New Orleans suburbs, seemed to have sewed up one of the general election berths. Ieyoub hence would have to surpass the showings of both Blanco and Leach to gain the coveted second spot.
Jindal led in the primary for the first general election berth with 33 percent of the vote. The Number 2 finisher was not Ieyoub but Blanco, who polled 18 percent, just over half of Jindal's initial total. Ieyoub drew 223,513 votes (16 percent), some 27,000 raw votes below his Senate showing seven years earlier. Leach finished in fourth place with 187,872 (14 percent). One may argue that Leach's votes in particular cost Ieyoub the coveted second spot. In fifth place was another Democrat Randy Ewing
, the outgoing state Senate President from Quitman
in Jackson Parish, who finished with 123,936 (9 percent). There was speculation that Ewing's votes may have come at the expense of either Jindal or Blanco.
One possible obstacle to a party switch is that his core supporters over the years have been blacks and blue-collar voters, the traditional mainstay of the Democratic Party. Moreover, Ieyoub teamed with Blanco in the general election of 2003. Ieyoub's friend and supporter Jim Bernhard of the Shaw Group and the chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, said that he sees no way Ieyoub could change parties.
New Orleans gastroenterologist Steve Price, a friend of Ieyob's since childhood, recalls that Ieyoub regularly quotes his role model, Sir Winston Churchill
. According to Dr. Price, Ieyoub "has a great sense of family. He showed just how much when he gave a kidney to his brother" in 1977. Another New Orleans friend, John Litchfield, says that Ieyoub is "truly genuine and down to earth. The thing people probably don't appreciate is how truly genuine he is and how he cares about people. For most politicians, that's unusual."
Ieyoub is Roman Catholic and is a member of Immaculate Conception Parish Church in New Orleans.
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
from 1992 to 2004. Ieyoub was the Calcasieu Parish district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
in Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
from 1984 to 1992, and is presently with the Baton Rouge firm Couhig Partners. Ieyoub, a political personality allied with his party's liberal wing, finished in a disappointing third place in the nonpartisan blanket primary for the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1996, and for the Louisiana governorship in 2003.
Early years and education
Ieyoub is of ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
extraction, and was born in Lake Charles to Phillip Assad Ieyoub and the former Virginia Khoury. He graduated in 1962 from Lake Charles High School, later renamed Lake Charles Boston High School and since closed.
Ieyoub received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from McNeese State University
McNeese State University
McNeese State University is a public university located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the United States. Founded in 1939 as a junior college, McNeese experienced growth due to economic activity in the region. It adopted its present name in 1970....
(then College) in Lake Charles in 1968, and his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge in 1972. He was admitted to the bar and licensed to practice in Louisiana, and before the United States Supreme Court.
Early in his career, Ieyoub was a special prosecutor
Special prosecutor
A special prosecutor generally is a lawyer from outside the government appointed by an attorney general or, in the United States, by Congress to investigate a government official for misconduct while in office. A reasoning for such an appointment is that the governmental branch or agency may have...
for the man whom he would succeed as attorney general, fellow Democrat William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr.
William J. Guste
William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr., is a New Orleans attorney, businessman and popular Democratic attorney general of Louisiana from 1972 to 1992. He succeeded the scandal-plagued Jack P.F. Gremillion, a fellow Democrat who had held the position since 1956. Guste received recognition for molding the...
, of New Orleans. Ieyoub was affiliated with the Lake Charles firm Baggett, McCall, Singleton, Ranier, and later established a solo practice. He also instructed criminal law on occasion at McNeese State. Ieyoub is a member of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
.
Ieyoub was elected district attorney of Calcasieu Parish in 1984 and was reelected without opposition in 1990. During his tenure as district attorney, he headed the national Commission on Model State Drug Laws.
Three elections as attorney general
When William Guste announced that he would not seek a sixth term as attorney general in 1991, Ieyoub filed for the position as the leading candidate. Ieyoub was challenged by two fellow Democrats, future state Treasurer and subsequent Republican convert John N. KennedyJohn N. Kennedy
John Neely Kennedy is the Republican state treasurer of Louisiana. He was re-elected without opposition to his fourth term as State Treasurer on September 8, 2011.-Early life and career:...
and Winston Riddick, and the principal Republican choice, former state Representative and state Senator Bernard J. "Ben" Bagert, Jr.
Ben Bagert
Bernard John "Ben" Bagert, Jr. is a prominent New Orleans attorney who was a member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from 1970 to 1992. As a legislator, Bagert was known as a politician who did not follow structured party dogma...
, of New Orleans. Ieyoub led the field with 447,423 votes (31 percent) to Bagert's 312,960 (22 percent), Kennedy's 288,104 (20 percent), and Riddick's 224,200 (16 percent). Two other Republicans also ran and divided 11 percent of the primary vote.
Ieyoub and Bagert went into the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
at the same time that former Governor Edwin Washington Edwards was being challenged by the onetime leader of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, then state Representative David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
of Jefferson Parish. Ieyoub defeated Bagert by a wider margin than that by which Edwards finished off Duke. The Calcasieu district attorney won the race by a margin of more than two to one: 1,147,592 (69 percent) to 517,660 (31 percent). Bagert even lost his own Orleans Parish in the election; the defeat ended Bagert's long career in state politics. Ieyoub's 1,147,592 vote tally was the highest numerical total ever obtained by a statewide candidate in Louisiana history until that time. The huge level of support may have given Ieyoub the idea that higher office lay in his future.
In 1995, Ieyoub won by an even larger margin than his historic showing in 1991. He polled 1,019,041 votes (76 percent) to 137,372 votes (10 percent) for the Republican Edward L. "Eddie" Tarpley, Jr. (born 1953), then the 35th district attorney of Grant Parish based in Colfax
Colfax, Louisiana
Colfax is a town in and the parish seat of Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town, founded in 1869, is named for the vice president of the United States, Schuyler M. Colfax , who served in the first term of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, for whom the parish is named. Colfax is part of...
in north Louisiana, who barely finished in second place. Tarpley, an anti-gambling activist, in fact lost even his own Grant Parish to Ieyoub. Two other candidates received the remaining 14 percent of the vote.
As attorney general, Ieyoub won a multimillion dollar tobacco settlement for the state of Louisiana as compensation for the health care costs of smokers. Ieyoub took a leading role in the formulation of the theory of parens patriae, which allows the state to sue on behalf of its citizens. The theory has implications beyond the tobacco litigation, and may be employed in the future if the states jointly challenge the possession of firearms.
Attorney General Ieyoub cleared Fred Baden
Fred Baden
Frederick Herman Baden, Sr., known as Fred Baden , was a Democratic mayor of Pineville, a small city across the Red River from Alexandria in Rapides Parish, Louisiana...
of wrongdoing stemming from an audit of municipal books in Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
, where Baden served as mayor from 1970-1998. Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle
Dan Kyle
Daniel Guin Kyle, known as Dan Kyle , is a businessman from Baton Rouge Louisiana, who served as his state's legislative auditor from 1989–2003, when he stepped down to run unsuccessfully for insurance commissioner. An active Republican, Kyle uncovered many instances of misappropriations in state...
claimed that Ieyoub had ignored critical evidence that would have found Baden guilty of malfeasance
Malfeasance
The expressions misfeasance and nonfeasance, and occasionally malfeasance, are used in English law with reference to the discharge of public obligations existing by common law, custom or statute.-Definition and relevant rules of law:...
in office. However, Ieyoub reported that a lengthy investigation concluded "there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution." Baden said at the time that he knew he would be cleared of the allegations. "I felt all along that I would be cleared of these allegations. ... I never did anything wrong. We never took anything from the city that we didn't earn."
Ieyoub claimed among his major accomplishments as attorney general the promotion of "initiatives that protect our children and help our children lead a better quality of life." He was active in the fight against narcotics through the Louisiana Coordinating Council on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Abuse. Ieyoub worked closely with the National Council Against Drinking and Driving. His office has been nationally recognized for combating underage drinking and drunken driving. He established a statewide school safety program and created a high-technology unit that targets sexual predators on the Internet.
Ieyoub was a member of the National Association of Attorneys General.
Falling short in the Senate race, 1996
In 1996, Ieyoub announced that he would enter the primary to select a successor to the retiring U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., a popular moderate Democrat from Shreveport whose service dated back to 1972. Ieyoub faced 14 other candidates, but only 3 had a serious level of support. Ieyoub competed for Democratic votes with outgoing state Treasurer Mary LandrieuMary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
of New Orleans. Two Republican candidates were also considered major players, David Duke again and state Representative Louis E. "Woody" Jenkins of Baton Rouge, who had lost Senate races as a Democrat to Johnston in 1978 and to the retired legendary Russell B. Long
Russell B. Long
Russell Billiu Long was an American Democratic politician and United States Senator from Louisiana from 1948 until 1987.-Early life:...
in 1980.
Jenkins led the field in the primary with 322,244 votes (26 percent). Landrieu trailed with 264,268 (22 percent). Ieyoub followed with 250,682 (20 percent), and Duke trailed with 141,489 (12 percent). All of the Republican candidates on the ballot received a total of 57 percent of the vote, whereas Landrieu and Ieyoub, the only Democrats, divided the remaining 43 percent. Jenkins hence advanced to the general election against Landrieu, with Ieyoub out of the running by just under 14,000 votes. Jenkins was handicapped, however, by the weakness in Louisiana of the Republican presidential nominee, former Senator Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. Dole lost Louisiana to incumbent President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, and while Jenkins ran well ahead of Dole on the Republican ticket, he fell short once again. Landrieu would become Johnston's preferred successor in the Senate.
Ieyoub, however, believed that "dirty tricks" by the Landrieu forces denied him the coveted second spot in the Senate general election. Later, Jenkins would accuse the Landrieu organization of having arranged for "dead persons" to cast pivotal ballots in Orleans Parish. Jenkins attempted to block Landrieu's swearing in, but Senate Republicans, led by Trent Lott, Jr.
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
voted to seat Landrieu based on the state's election certification.
Ieyoub was elected to his third term as attorney general in 1999 without opposition.
The gubernatorial campaign, 2003
Main article: Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2003Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2003
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 2003 resulted in the election of Kathleen Babineaux Blanco as governor of Louisiana.- Background :Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system called the jungle primary...
In 2003, Ieyoub entered the gubernatorial race in an effort to succeed term-limited Republican Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. served as 53rd Governor of Louisiana from January 1996 until January 2004. Foster's father was Murphy J. Foster, Jr., but Mike Foster uses "Jr." even though he is technically Murphy J. Foster, III. Foster is a businessman, landowner, and sportsman in St...
As a gubernatorial candidate, Attorney General Ieyoub declared himself a NASCAR fan, at least from the economic development consideration if not personal interest. "I'm a NASCAR fan from the standpoint of what it can do for economic development in Louisiana. It's been a tremendous economic development help for North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and other states that have NASCAR tracks," Ieyoub said.
Ieyoub picked up many endorsements in his gubernatorial bid, including the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
, the City Marshals Association, and Black Organization for Leadership Development (BOLD) in New Orleans.
Whereas Ieyoub had competed with Landrieu for Democratic base votes for the Senate in 1996, he was in competition with two Democrats for such votes in 2003: outgoing Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
and former Congressman Anthony Claude "Buddy" Leach, Jr., who had residences in his hometown of Leesville
Leesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
as well as Ieyoub's own Lake Charles.
Meanwhile, the Republican frontrunner, Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, later a congressman from the New Orleans suburbs, seemed to have sewed up one of the general election berths. Ieyoub hence would have to surpass the showings of both Blanco and Leach to gain the coveted second spot.
Jindal led in the primary for the first general election berth with 33 percent of the vote. The Number 2 finisher was not Ieyoub but Blanco, who polled 18 percent, just over half of Jindal's initial total. Ieyoub drew 223,513 votes (16 percent), some 27,000 raw votes below his Senate showing seven years earlier. Leach finished in fourth place with 187,872 (14 percent). One may argue that Leach's votes in particular cost Ieyoub the coveted second spot. In fifth place was another Democrat Randy Ewing
Randy Ewing
Randy Lew Ewing is a Jackson Parish businessman who, as a Democrat, represented District 35 in the Louisiana State Senate from 1988 to 2000. He was the State Senate President in his last term from 1996 to 2000, which corresponded with the first term of Republican Governor Murphy J...
, the outgoing state Senate President from Quitman
Quitman, Louisiana
Quitman is a village in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 168. Quitman is south of Ruston on U.S. Highway 167, and north of Jonesboro, the parish seat of Jackson Parish...
in Jackson Parish, who finished with 123,936 (9 percent). There was speculation that Ewing's votes may have come at the expense of either Jindal or Blanco.
Will Ieyoub switch parties?
In 2005, some unconfirmed reports circulated that Ieyoub might switch parties to run the U.S. Senate against Landrieu in 2008. Such a switch would have been highly unusual since Ieyoub has been a Democrat throughout his career. Mrs. Ieyoub, the former Caprice Brown, is a Republican and reportedly urged her husband to abandon his ancestral party. When the rumors were mentioned to Ieyoub in 2005, he said, somewhat cheerfully, "I have no comment on that."One possible obstacle to a party switch is that his core supporters over the years have been blacks and blue-collar voters, the traditional mainstay of the Democratic Party. Moreover, Ieyoub teamed with Blanco in the general election of 2003. Ieyoub's friend and supporter Jim Bernhard of the Shaw Group and the chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, said that he sees no way Ieyoub could change parties.
Personal life
The Ieyoubs married on February 3, 1995. Mrs. Ieyoub was a lawyer and worked under her future husband in the Louisiana Attorney General's office; she also holds a doctorate in higher education administration. The couple has four young children: Richard Phillip, Jr., Khoury, Christian, and Anna Michael Ieyoub. He also has three grown children from a previous marriage: Amy Claire, Nicole Ann, and Brennan Jude Ieyoub.New Orleans gastroenterologist Steve Price, a friend of Ieyob's since childhood, recalls that Ieyoub regularly quotes his role model, Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. According to Dr. Price, Ieyoub "has a great sense of family. He showed just how much when he gave a kidney to his brother" in 1977. Another New Orleans friend, John Litchfield, says that Ieyoub is "truly genuine and down to earth. The thing people probably don't appreciate is how truly genuine he is and how he cares about people. For most politicians, that's unusual."
Ieyoub is Roman Catholic and is a member of Immaculate Conception Parish Church in New Orleans.