Changes

Three granddaughters

Three granddaughters

}}

}}

'''John Thomas Schedler''', known as '''Tom Schedler''' (born January 24, 1950), is the former secretary of state of his native [[Louisiana]]. A [[Republican Party|Republican]], Schedler announced his resignation in the wake of a [[sexual harassment]] scandal. He vacated his office on May 8, 2018; a special election will be held on November 6, to choose Schedler's successor for the term ending in January 2020.<ref name=resignation>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/local/louisiana/2018/05/01/louisiana-elections-chief-tom-schedler-quits-amid-sexual-misconduct-claim/565583002/|title=Louisiana Secretary of State quits amid sexual misconduct claims|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk'', copied from the ''Lafayette Daily Advertiser'' in [[Lafayette]], Louisiana|date=May 1, 2018}}</ref>Meanwhile, Robert Kyle Ardoin (born c. 1967), the first assistant secretary of state, has assumed the duties of the office for the interim period.<ref name=ghilburn/>

'''John Thomas Schedler''', known as '''Tom Schedler''' (born January 24, 1950), is the former secretary of state of his native [[Louisiana]]. A [[Republican Party|Republican]], Schedler announced his resignation in the wake of a [[sexual harassment]] scandal. He vacated his office on May 8, 2018; a special election will be held on November 6, to choose Schedler's successor for the term ending in January 2020.<ref name=resignation>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/local/louisiana/2018/05/01/louisiana-elections-chief-tom-schedler-quits-amid-sexual-misconduct-claim/565583002/|title=Louisiana Secretary of State quits amid sexual misconduct claims|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk'', copied from the ''Lafayette Daily Advertiser'' in [[Lafayette]], Louisiana|date=May 1, 2018}}</ref>Meanwhile, Robert Kyle Ardoin (born July 31, 1967) of [[Baton Rouge]], the first assistant secretary of state, assumed the duties of the office for the interim period.<ref name=ghilburn/>

From 1996 to 2008, Schedler was the District 11 state senator for St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes in southeastern Louisiana. Term-limited affer twelve years in the Senate, he was named chief deputy to the Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, a former Senate colleague from [[Baton Rouge]].<ref>''New Orleans Times-Picayune'', December 6, 2007.</ref> When Dardenne won a special election for lieutenant governor in 2010, Schedler became the secretary of state. On October 22, 2011, Schedler won a full term as secretary by narrowly defeating the outgoing state House Speaker James Wilton "Jim" Tucker of [[New Orleans]], 449,370 (50.5 percent) to 440,872 (49.5 percent). He won only twenty-six of the sixty-four parishes in the race against Tucker, and his margin of victory was attributed to his own St. Tammany Parish. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical|title=Louisiana election returns|date=October 22, 2011|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=March 16, 2018}}</ref>

From 1996 to 2008, Schedler was the District 11 state senator for St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes in southeastern Louisiana. Term-limited affer twelve years in the Senate, he was named chief deputy to the Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, a former Senate colleague from [[Baton Rouge]].<ref>''New Orleans Times-Picayune'', December 6, 2007.</ref> When Dardenne won a special election for lieutenant governor in 2010, Schedler became the secretary of state. On October 22, 2011, Schedler won a full term as secretary by narrowly defeating the outgoing state House Speaker James Wilton "Jim" Tucker of [[New Orleans]], 449,370 (50.5 percent) to 440,872 (49.5 percent). He won only twenty-six of the sixty-four parishes in the race against Tucker, and his margin of victory was attributed to his own St. Tammany Parish. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical|title=Louisiana election returns|date=October 22, 2011|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=March 16, 2018}}</ref>

==Special election, 2018==

==Special election, 2018==

In conjunction with congressional elections on November 6, 2018, a special election will be held to choose a successor to Schedler to serve the remainder of the term through January 2020. Three Republicans in the race include sitting state Representatives [[Julie Stokes]] of Kenner in Jefferson Parish, the first to announce; [[Rick Edmonds]], a minister from Baton Rouge who has vowed to act as a "watchdog" to guarantee election integrity. Almond Gaston Crowe, Jr., who served in both houses of the legislature from St. Tammany Parish prior to 2016, is still another Republican candidate; Crowe also has experience in records management. The lone Democrat seeking the seat is Renee Fontenot Free, a former employee of the offices of the secretary of state and the Louisiana attorney general. Not seeking the position are two Republican state senators previously mentioned, Gerald Long of [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]] and Michael Arthur "Mike" Walsworth of West Monroe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2018/07/05/secretary-state-see-whos-whos-out-race/759474002/|title=Secretary of state race: See who's in, who's out|author=Greg Hilburn|publisher=''The Monroe News-Star''|date=July 5, 2018|accessdate=July 6, 2018}}</ref>

In conjunction with congressional elections on November 6, 2018, a special election will be held to choose a successor to Schedler to serve the remainder of the term through January 2020. Interim Secretary Robert Kyle Ardoin is one of six Republicans in the race. Others include sitting state Representatives [[Julie Stokes]] of Kenner in Jefferson Parish, the first to announce; [[Rick Edmonds]], a minister from Baton Rouge who has vowed to act as a "watchdog" to guarantee election integrity. Almond Gaston Crowe, Jr., who served in both houses of the legislature from St. Tammany Parish prior to 2016, is still another Republican candidate; Crowe also has experience in records management. Renee Fontenot Free, a former employee of the offices of the secretary of state and the Louisiana attorney general, is one of two Democratic women in the race. Two Republican state senators previously mentioned as potential candidates, Gerald Long of [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]] and Michael Arthur "Mike" Walsworth of West Monroe, chose not to run.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2018/07/05/secretary-state-see-whos-whos-out-race/759474002/|title=Secretary of state race: See who's in, who's out|author=Greg Hilburn|publisher=''The Monroe News-Star''|date=July 5, 2018|accessdate=July 6, 2018}}</ref>

==References==

==References==