Changes

In March 2023, Thompson announced that after fifty years as an elected Democrat he was switching his party affiliation to [[Republican Party|Republican]] because he disagrees with the leftist tilt of his former party. Thompson's switch gives the GOP a supermajority in the Louisiana House with 70 of the 105 seats. However, twenty-three of the Republicans often side with the Democrats. The [[radio]] commentator [[Moon Griffon]] calls the twenty-three the [[Louisiana Republican Fraud Squad]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2023/03/16/republicans-gain-super-majority-in-louisiana-legislature-without-election/70018803007/|title=Thompson party flip gives Republicans super majority in Louisiana Legislature|author=[[Greg Hilburn]]|publisher=''[[Monroe News Star]]''|date=March 16, 2023|accessdate=March 17, 2023}}</ref>

In March 2023, Thompson announced that after fifty years as an elected Democrat he was switching his party affiliation to [[Republican Party|Republican]] because he disagrees with the leftist tilt of his former party. Thompson's switch gives the GOP a supermajority in the Louisiana House with 70 of the 105 seats. However, twenty-three of the Republicans often side with the Democrats. The [[radio]] commentator [[Moon Griffon]] calls the twenty-three the [[Louisiana Republican Fraud Squad]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2023/03/16/republicans-gain-super-majority-in-louisiana-legislature-without-election/70018803007/|title=Thompson party flip gives Republicans super majority in Louisiana Legislature|author=[[Greg Hilburn]]|publisher=''[[Monroe News Star]]''|date=March 16, 2023|accessdate=March 17, 2023}}</ref>

Instead, Thompson was elected outright over two fellow Democrats to the District 34 seat in the Louisiana State Senate vacated by the also term-limited Charles Jones (born 1950) of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]. Thompson received 13,763 votes (51 percent) to 10,937 (42 percent) for [[African-American]] State Representative Willie Hunter, Jr., of Monroe and 2,113 (8 percent) for Paxton J. Branch.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20, 2007.</ref> Ten days after he vacated the seat to Thompson, Charles Jones was charged with two counts of making and subscribing a false federal income tax return and one count of tax evasion.<ref>''Monroe News Star'' January 25, 2008.</ref> Hunter charged irregularities in the primary election in part on grounds that certain Thompson supporters in heavily black East Carroll Parish distributed food packages to the poor with instructions that they should vote for Francis Thompson to maintain such assistance.<ref>''The Monroe News Star,'' November 10, 2007.</ref>

Instead, Thompson was elected outright over two fellow Democrats to the District 34 seat in the Louisiana State Senate vacated by the also term-limited Charles Jones (born 1950) of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]. Thompson received 13,763 votes (51 percent) to 10,937 (42 percent) for [[African-American]] State Representative Willie Hunter Jr., of Monroe and 2,113 (8 percent) for Paxton J. Branch.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20, 2007.</ref> Ten days after he vacated the seat to Thompson, Charles Jones was charged with two counts of making and subscribing a false federal income tax return and one count of tax evasion.<ref>''Monroe News Star'' January 25, 2008.</ref> Hunter charged irregularities in the primary election in part on grounds that certain Thompson supporters in heavily black East Carroll Parish distributed food packages to the poor with instructions that they should vote for Francis Thompson to maintain such assistance.<ref>''The Monroe News Star,'' November 10, 2007.</ref>

In addition to his own Richland Parish, Thompson's House district included all or portions of East Carroll, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, and West Carroll parishes in northeast Louisiana. His Senate district included all or parts parts of Concordia, East Carroll, Madison, Ouachita, Richland, and Tensas parishes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://senate.la.gov/senators/senpage.asp?SenID=34|title=Senator Francis C. Thompson|publisher=Louisiana State Senate|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

In addition to his own Richland Parish, Thompson's House district included all or portions of East Carroll, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, and West Carroll parishes in northeast Louisiana. His Senate district included all or parts parts of Concordia, East Carroll, Madison, Ouachita, Richland, and Tensas parishes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://senate.la.gov/senators/senpage.asp?SenID=34|title=Senator Francis C. Thompson|publisher=Louisiana State Senate|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

Thompson is married to the former Marilyn Bryant (born October 6, 1944)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/marilyn-thompson/e820695603978|title=Marilyn Thompson of Delhi, Louisiana|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref> The couple resides 456 Robin Hood Lane in Delhi. There are three Thompson children: Francis Todd Thompson (born April 3, 1964) and Brant L. Thompson (born April 1, 1965), both of Delhi, and Melissa T. Blanchfield (born October 21, 1972) of Baton Rouge.<ref>Net Detective, People Search.</ref> Thompson is a [[Presbyterian]].

Thompson is married to the former Marilyn Bryant (born October 6, 1944)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/marilyn-thompson/e820695603978|title=Marilyn Thompson of Delhi, Louisiana|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref> The couple resides 456 Robin Hood Lane in Delhi. There are three Thompson children: Francis Todd Thompson (born April 3, 1964) and Brant L. Thompson (born April 1, 1965), both of Delhi, and Melissa T. Blanchfield (born October 21, 1972) of Baton Rouge.<ref>Net Detective, People Search.</ref> Thompson is a [[Presbyterian]].

From 1968 to 1975, Thompson was an elected member of the Richland Parish School Board. He won a special election in 1975 to fill the House seat vacated by the resignation of Democrat [[Benny Christian]] (1925-1982),<ref>"Social Security Death Index". ssdi.rootsweb.com. Retrieved January 2, 2010; now under pay wall.</ref> who had served in the state House since 1964. Later in the year, Thompson won a full term in the seat, which in time became the single-member District 19. Prior to his legislative years, Thompson worked in Baton Rouge for the Louisiana Department of Education under Superintendent [[Louis J. Michot]] from 1974 to 1975. He was a member of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement from 1973 to 1974. Thompson has also been a member of the Southern Regional Education Board and the Education Commission of the States. He has been active in the Retarded Children's Association and the Louisiana Mental Health Drug Advisory Council. He is a member of the Masonic lodge and the Lions International.

From 1968 to 1975, Thompson was an elected member of the Richland Parish School Board. He won a special election in 1975 to fill the House seat vacated by the resignation of Democrat [[Benny Christian]] (1925–1982),<ref>"Social Security Death Index". ssdi.rootsweb.com. Retrieved January 2, 2010; now under pay wall.</ref> who had served in the state House since 1964. Later in the year, Thompson won a full term in the seat, which in time became the single-member District 19. Prior to his legislative years, Thompson worked in Baton Rouge for the Louisiana Department of Education under Superintendent [[Louis J. Michot]] from 1974 to 1975. He was a member of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement from 1973 to 1974. Thompson has also been a member of the Southern Regional Education Board and the Education Commission of the States. He has been active in the Retarded Children's Association and the Louisiana Mental Health Drug Advisory Council. He is a member of the Masonic lodge and the Lions International.

Thompson's brother and the oldest of his five siblings, Clyde Nolan Thompson (April 25, 1937 &mdash; July 31, 2015), was a multi-sport athlete at Louisiana Tech who for twenty years held the school record for stolen bases. He was also a Tech football quarterback. With his doctorate in professional education from the University of Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Clyde Thompson was a teacher and coach in several Louisiana high school and then at Louisiana Tech. In 1975, he became the drug education coordinator for District 8 for the Louisiana Department of Education. In 1980, Republican Governor [[David C. Treen]] named Clyde Thompson, like his brother a Democrat, as the deputy director of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. He then became the assistant to the president of the State Board of Education before he returned to Delhi and became the director of the Madison Parish Port, a position which he held for more than two decades until retirement in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150074010/clyde-nolan-thompson|title=Clyde Nolan Thompson|publisher=Findagrave.com|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

Thompson's brother and the oldest of his five siblings, Clyde Nolan Thompson (April 25, 1937 &mdash; July 31, 2015), was a multi-sport athlete at Louisiana Tech who for twenty years held the school record for stolen bases. He was also a Tech football quarterback. With his doctorate in professional education from the University of Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Clyde Thompson was a teacher and coach in several Louisiana high school and then at Louisiana Tech. In 1975, he became the drug education coordinator for District 8 for the Louisiana Department of Education. In 1980, Republican Governor [[David C. Treen]] named Clyde Thompson, like his brother a Democrat, as the deputy director of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. He then became the assistant to the president of the State Board of Education before he returned to Delhi and became the director of the Madison Parish Port, a position which he held for more than two decades until retirement in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150074010/clyde-nolan-thompson|title=Clyde Nolan Thompson|publisher=Findagrave.com|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

In 1996, Thompson ran for the open Fifth District seat in the United States House of Representatives. He polled 50,144 votes (28 percent) and went into a general election with the Republican ophthalmologist [[John Cooksey]] of Monroe, who led in the nonpartisan blanket primary with 60,853 ballots (34 percent). Former U.S. Representative [[Clyde Holloway]] of Forest Hill in Rapides Parish trailed in third place with 48,226 (27 percent).<ref>Louisiana election returns, September 21, 1996," Sos.louisiana.gov., accessed January 2, 2009.</ref> Holloway then endorsed Cooksey, who defeated Thompson by a comfortable margin. Cooksey received 135,990 votes (58 percent) to the more liberal Thompson's 97,363 (42 percent).<ref>Louisiana election returns, November 5, 1996, Sos.louisiana.gov, accessed  January 2, 2009.</ref> Cooksey served three terms before leaving the U.S. House early in 2003. Cooksey's campaign manager, [[Lee Fletcher]], was thereafter named as his chief of staff. Fletcher tried to win the House seat himself in 2002 but lost to Democrat (later Republican) [[Rodney Alexander]].

In 1996, Thompson ran for the open Fifth District seat in the United States House of Representatives. He polled 50,144 votes (28 percent) and went into a general election with the Republican ophthalmologist [[John Cooksey]] of Monroe, who led in the nonpartisan blanket primary with 60,853 ballots (34 percent). Former U.S. Representative [[Clyde Holloway]] of Forest Hill in Rapides Parish trailed in third place with 48,226 (27 percent).<ref>Louisiana election returns, September 21, 1996," Sos.louisiana.gov., accessed January 2, 2009.</ref> Holloway then endorsed Cooksey, who defeated Thompson by a comfortable margin. Cooksey received 135,990 votes (58 percent) to the more liberal Thompson's 97,363 (42 percent).<ref>Louisiana election returns, November 5, 1996, Sos.louisiana.gov, accessed  January 2, 2009.</ref> Cooksey served three terms before leaving the U.S. House early in 2003. Cooksey's campaign manager, [[Lee Fletcher]], was thereafter named as his chief of staff. Fletcher tried to win the House seat himself in 2002 but lost to Democrat (later Republican) [[Rodney Alexander]].

As a Democrat, Thompson broke party ranks in the 2003 gubernatorial primary to support the unsuccessful Republican candidate [[Hunt Downer|Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer, Jr.]] of Houma in Terrebonne Parish, a former United States Army officer and state House Speaker, who finished sixth in the balloting though he had the support of a cross-section of state legislators from both parties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/934952/posts|title=33 State Legislators Announce Support for Hunt Downer (LA Gov)|publisher=[[Free Republic]]|date=June 23, 2003|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

As a Democrat, Thompson broke party ranks in the 2003 gubernatorial primary to support the unsuccessful Republican candidate [[Hunt Downer|Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer Jr.]] of Houma in Terrebonne Parish, a former United States Army officer and state House Speaker, who finished sixth in the balloting though he had the support of a cross-section of state legislators from both parties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/934952/posts|title=33 State Legislators Announce Support for Hunt Downer (LA Gov)|publisher=[[Free Republic]]|date=June 23, 2003|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

In 2005, Francis Thompson was inducted into the [[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]] in Winnfield.<ref>New inductions, Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame," Cityofwinnfield.com., accessed August 22, 2009.</ref> In 2015, he was unopposed for reelection to the Senate.

In 2005, Francis Thompson was inducted into the [[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]] in Winnfield.<ref>New inductions, Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame," Cityofwinnfield.com., accessed August 22, 2009.</ref> In 2015, he was unopposed for reelection to the Senate.