John Fleming, Fmr. Trump deputy chief of staff, launches bid for state treasurer

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - In a race that typically does not get much fanfare, the office of state treasurer is heating up. Three candidates have made bids so far, one of those being John Fleming, a four-term congressman for the 4th Congressional District.

Fleming is coming off the heels of his service under former President Donald Trump. In his administration, Fleming served in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and later as assistant secretary for the Economic Development Administration in the U.S. Commerce Department. In Trump’s last year in office, Fleming moved to service in the West Wing as the former president’s deputy chief of staff.

Fleming’s background is two-fold as a physician and long-time business owner, with Subway sandwich shops still scattered all across North Louisiana.

He wants to take his experience and love for public service to the Treasurer’s seat, looking to move the state forward as both people and companies have fled in recent years.

“We need to look inward. What is it about our tax system, our regulations, all these things?” said Fleming. “So, with my background both in government and the private sector, I want to be a big part of that leadership conservative team that we’re gonna have in 2024, that we bring about the kind of reforms that are gonna jettison this state forward to catch up with other states.”

“For too long Louisiana has been 50th in everything good, and number one in everything bad.”

Aside from reforming the state’s tax system and recruiting business and industry, Fleming’s primary concern stems from what he sees as a growing pressure state and nationwide for treasurers to invest in clean energy.

Though he believes in natural gas and hydroelectric energy to be proven good investments, he says many proposals, like wind energy, have not.

“There’s already a candidate in the race, a Democrat, who’s already said that’s what he’s going to do with taxpayer and pensioner money,” said Fleming. “Of course, as a conservative, both a fiscal conservative and an ideological conservative, and as a conservative Republican, I don’t believe in doing that. I believe the money should be invested wisely, it should be protected, and it should be done with the best return on investment for those who actually pay the bills, which are the taxpayers and the pensioners.”

That Democrat is financial advisor Dustin Granger, whose first campaign ad is largely focused on clean energy investments, or what he calls an investment in the future.

Fleming and Granger also face Republican state Rep. Scott McKnight as a challenger for the seat.

A recent poll conducted by JMC Analytics and Polling from January 23-26 revealed, of the 600 voters polled, given the information provided to them about current candidates, 41% of them would support Fleming in the election for state treasurer.

The poll recorded 25% would vote for a Democrat, McKnight earned 6% of voters’ support, and 28% said they were undecided.

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