Paul Hardy - Republican Lieutenant Governor

Republican Lieutenant Governor

Hardy switched parties and ran as a Republican in 1987 for lieutenant governor. First though he was for two weeks in January 1987 a gubernatorial candidate once again. After intraparty rival, U.S. Representative Bob Livingston of suburban New Orleans, defeated Hardy by a five-to-one margin at a caucus straw poll in Alexandria, Hardy said that he would not be a disrupting factor in the race. He therefore endorsed Livingston and incorrectly predicted that Livingston would b elected governor that year.

Instead, Hardy faced five opponents in the race for lieutenant governor, including the two-term Democratic incumbent, Robert Louis "Bobby" Freeman of Plaquemine in Iberville. Also in the race with Freeman and Hardy was Democrat William Ford "Bill" Dodd of Baton Rouge, son of former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Bill Dodd, who served from 1948 to 1952. Primary results gave Freeman 586,335 (40 percent), Hardy 429,906 (29 percent), and Dodd 242,519 (17 percent). Three other Democrats polled a total of 14 percent of the primary vote.

In the general election held on November 21, 1987, Hardy upset Freeman, 521,992 (53 percent) to 460,199 (47 percent). While Hardy was winning as lieutenant governor, State Representative W. Fox McKeithen, son of John McKeithen, was elected to Hardy's former position as secretary of state. Incumbent Secretary of State James H. "Jim" Brown, originally from Ferriday in Concordia Parish, who had succeeded Hardy in 1980, had vacated the post to make an ill-fated run for governor.

As lieutenant governor, Hardy led the way to enact legislation creating "Tax Free Shopping," which still today gives foreigners an incentive to visit Louisiana. In turn, this concept has resulted in increases in tourism-related jobs, and in 1989 alone increased tourist spending by a record $1.2 billion.

In 1985, Hardy had assisted local entrepreneurs in the production of the full length feature film of the Cajun movie Belizaire the Cajun which was filmed in at Acadian Village in Lafayette. He was the associate producer and played a bit part in the movie. Under his leadership thereafter as lieutenant governor, the economic impact of the movie industry increased by $51 million.

In 1989, Phi Kappa Theta national fraternal organization presented Hardy with the "Man of Achievement” award. In 1991, he was presented with "The Order of the Plimsoll," the highest award of the New Orleans World Trade Center.