Caroline Fayard
Cathryn Caroline Fayard was a 2016 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. Senate from Louisiana.[1]
Fayard was a Democratic candidate for Louisiana Secretary of State in the 2011 statewide official elections. She was the only Democrat to have declared for the office, and would have faced an uncontested primary on October 22. In the event, she failed to qualify and did not appear on the primary ballot.[2] The general election was held on November 8.
Fayard is a New Orleans-based attorney and was formerly a candidate in the special lieutenant governor election in 2010. She announced her candidacy for secretary of state on May 4 but dropped out on September 8, the final day of qualifying.[3][2]
Biography
Fayard grew up in Denham Springs, Louisiana, outside of Baton Rouge. She attended Episcopal High School, where she was a cadet of Navy Junior ROTC, served as a congressional page and valedictorian of her graduating class. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree at Dartmouth College, where she served as president of her sorority and interned at the White House. Fayard worked at Goldman Sachs before earning her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and taking a position at the Washington-based law firm of Williams and Connolly. She subsequently served as a clerk to a Louisiana district court judge, after which she served as an instructor at the Loyola University-New Orleans School of Law until 2009, when she returned to private practice.[4]
She is a past president of the Board of Louisiana Appleseed, a nonprofit that promotes access to justice.[4]
Issues
Though she did not release any official position statements during her 2010 run for secretary of state, she made a number during her campaign for lieutenant governor in 2010. These include:
- Reducing the size of government and shrinking waste
- Raising standards and increasing accountability
- Creating economic opportunities and promoting strategic planning to diversify Louisiana's economy
- Promoting the state's tourism and hospitality industries[5]
Fayard has shown support for common conservative causes; she has said that she is pro-life[6] and supports efforts to reduce the size of government. However, she worked for then-First Lady Hillary Clinton after graduating from law school, and former Democratic President Bill Clinton raised money for her campaign for lieutenant governor. She has stated that she opposes the policies of current President Barack Obama[7], but, in a video clip widely publicized by Republicans, gave Obama a "B+" for his performance as president.[8]
Elections
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Louisiana's U.S. Senate race as safely Republican. The seat was open following incumbent David Vitter's decision to retire. A total of 24 candidates filed to run and competed in the primary election on November 8, 2016. John Kennedy (R) and Foster Campbell (D) took the top two spots in the election, advancing to the general election on December 10, 2016. Kennedy subsequently defeated Campbell in the general election.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  John Kennedy |
60.7% | 536,191 | |
| Democratic | Foster Campbell | 39.3% | 347,816 | |
| Total Votes | 884,007 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Kennedy |
25% | 482,591 | |
| Democratic | Foster Campbell |
17.5% | 337,833 | |
| Republican | Charles Boustany | 15.4% | 298,008 | |
| Democratic | Caroline Fayard | 12.5% | 240,917 | |
| Republican | John Fleming | 10.6% | 204,026 | |
| Republican | Rob Maness | 4.7% | 90,856 | |
| Republican | David Duke | 3% | 58,606 | |
| Democratic | Derrick Edwards | 2.7% | 51,774 | |
| Democratic | Gary Landrieu | 2.4% | 45,587 | |
| Republican | Donald Crawford | 1.3% | 25,523 | |
| Republican | Joseph Cao | 1.1% | 21,019 | |
| Independent | Beryl Billiot | 1% | 19,352 | |
| Libertarian | Thomas Clements | 0.6% | 11,370 | |
| Independent | Troy Hebert | 0.5% | 9,503 | |
| Democratic | Josh Pellerin | 0.4% | 7,395 | |
| Democratic | Peter Williams | 0.4% | 6,855 | |
| Democratic | Vinny Mendoza | 0.3% | 4,927 | |
| Independent | Kaitlin Marone | 0.2% | 4,108 | |
| Libertarian | Le Roy Gillam | 0.2% | 4,067 | |
| Republican | Charles Marsala | 0.2% | 3,684 | |
| Independent | Arden Wells | 0.1% | 1,483 | |
| Independent | Bob Lang | 0.1% | 1,424 | |
| Independent | Gregory Taylor | 0.1% | 1,151 | |
| Total Votes | 1,932,059 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State | ||||
2011
Fayard announced on May 4, 2011 that she would seek the Democratic nomination for Louisiana Secretary of State in the 2011 Louisiana statewide official elections.[10] As of August 4, no other Democrats had announced for the race, while Incumbent Tom Schedler and State Rep. Walker Hines were battling for the Republican nod. Fayard did not qualify, however, and dropped out of the race.[2] Primaries were held on October 22 and the general election on November 19.
 State Executive Official elections |
| Kentucky • Louisiana Mississippi • West Virginia |
| News • Calendar |
"I hate Republicans" comment
Before Fayard announced her candidacy, she received substantial attention for comments during a March 24 Democratic fundraiser, where she stated that she "hates Republicans," and that they are "cruel and destructive" and "eat their young."[11] The Louisiana Republican Party publicized Fayard's comments widely, even printing bumper stickers for its supporters that read "Caroline Fayard Hates Me." Fayard did not apologize for her remarks directly, instead stating that her comments had been taking out of context and that she was trying to make a point about the divisive nature of contemporary politics.[12]
See also
- Louisiana secretary of state election, 2011
- Louisiana Secretary of State
- Tom Schedler
- Walker Hines
- United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2016
- United States Senate
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Advocate, "Democrat Caroline Fayard launches U.S. Senate bid," February 4, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Times-Picayune, "Democrats' 'rock star,' Caroline Fayard, sits this one out," December 10, 2013
- ↑ GeauxCaroline.com, "Caroline Fayard Organizing Campaign for Secretary of State," May 4, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Email submission to Ballotpedia, August 23, 2016
- ↑ GeauxCaroline.com, "Issues," accessed August 4, 2011
- ↑ The Daily News (Washington Parish, LA), "Candidate or not? Fayard remains noncommittal during banquet," March 27, 2011
- ↑ Gambit, "Caroline Fayard on her "I hate Republicans" quote," March 28, 2011
- ↑ LAGOP.com, "Caroline Fayard Gives Obama a B+," October 25, 2010
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ New Orleans City Business', "Fayard starts campaign for Louisiana secretary of state," May 5, 2011
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Former Lt. Gov. candidate Caroline Fayard catches flak for comments at Democratic event," March 28, 2011
- ↑ The Hayride, "Does Caroline Fayard Represent Today's Louisiana Democrats?" March 28, 2011
