Former Rep. John Fleming, a conservative hardliner who served four terms in the House before waging a failed 2016 Senate bid, announced Tuesday that he would try and revive his electoral career this fall by seeking the Louisiana state treasurer post that GOP incumbent John Schroder is giving up to run for governor.
Fleming, who was first elected to represent the Shreveport area in 2008, was a favorite of anti-establishment groups like the radical anti-tax Club for Growth during his time in Congress. He’s also long been an ardent opponent of abortion rights, so much so that in 2012, he shared an article from The Onion on Facebook titled "Planned Parenthood Opens $8 Billion Abortionplex." The congressman was very much not aware that this was satire, though, as he added the message, "More on Planned Parenthood, abortion by the wholesale." Fleming soon deleted the post, though not fast enough to avoid attention.