Stacey Tinsley, BIZ. Magazine
John Fleming, M.D., is a name that should be familiar to voters in Shreveport, Bossier City, Minden and the surrounding areas.
Fleming, a Minden physician and businessman, served as congressman for Louisiana’s 4th congressional district from 2009 until 2017. Now, Fleming has announced his candidacy for Louisiana state treasurer.
In a sit-down interview with Specht Newspapers, Inc. [DISCLOSURE: Specht Newspapers, Inc. is owner of BIZ. Magazine] on Tuesday afternoon March 7, 2023, Fleming talked about his candidacy, why he wants to run for state treasurer and the abilities that he thinks he will bring to the state treasurer’s office.
Fleming said he had been looking at running for Louisiana lieutenant governor earlier this year. But once Republican incumbent and current Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser announced that he would run for re-election, he started considering the race for state treasurer more seriously.
“I wanted to continue public service and saw that there was one open seat, and that was the office of lieutenant governor. However, with Billy Nungesser running for re-election, it turned out not to be an open seat. But, what I didn’t expect was current State Treasurer John Schroder running for governor. I think it is an equally good office. In fact, in some ways, I think it is even better. It is a more serious seat. The treasurer has some really significant responsibilities in managing the state’s money, managing the taxpayer’s money and so on,” Fleming said.
“As treasurer, there are some important things that we can do to reform our economy, our tax system, our regulations and all of that. These things do not fall under the authority of the office of state treasurer, but the treasurer can certainly be a part of the messaging and influencing the legislature and the governor. And there is a new issue that we have never dealt with – the issue of bringing Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG – three factors that affect a government’s credit profile) to the idea of where our money is invested,” said Fleming.
Fleming went on to say, “I think we still have a very good tax system federally and we need to apply those principles in Louisiana. It’s not just about less taxes or lower taxes. It is about a system that is predictable; a system that is systematic; a system that is progressive and not regressive.”
At least two other candidates have launched their campaign for state treasurer. Those candidates are State Rep. Scott McKnight, R-Baton Rouge, and Democrat Dustin Granger, a small business owner from Lake Charles.
Our current state treasurer, Republican John Schroder, is running for governor this year. So, he will not be eligible for re-election as state treasurer..
After graduating from medical school, Fleming served as a medical officer in the United States Navy, brought his young family to Minden, Louisiana, and started his medical practice in family medicine. While practicing medicine, Fleming also started and owned several successful businesses employing hundreds of people.
In 2008, after establishing his medical practice and building several successful businesses, Fleming became concerned about the direction of our nation and decided to become a candidate for the United States Congress. He was elected to serve as Louisiana’s 4th District Congressman in 2008.
During his career in Congress, Fleming received very high scores for his strong conservative record. And, along with Jim Jordan, Ron DeSantis and Mike Meadows, he started the House Freedom Caucus, a group of solidly conservative members of Congress who fought for conservative solutions to the nation’s problems.
In 2016, after serving four terms, Fleming left Congress, earned a Senate-confirmed subcabinet position as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in the Trump Administration. He eventually rose to become a Senior Advisor to President Trump.
John Fleming has been married for 44 years to his wife, Cindy. They are the parents of four children (Breck, Brook-lyn, JC, and Barrett) and they have five grandchildren.