
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 12, 1991                   TAG: 9103120391
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: BATON ROUGE, LA.                                LENGTH: Short

DEMOCRATIC LA. GOVERNOR JOINS GOP

Gov. Buddy Roemer switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party on Monday, believed to be the first incumbent governor in history to jump parties.

Roemer, 47, promised to remain a maverick.

"Frankly, I'm not entirely satisfied with the details of either party," he said.

For example, he said he supports affirmative action programs to protect blacks against discrimination. The GOP is unhappy with affirmative action.

But, Roemer said, the GOP "is becoming most open to new ideas, new thinking, new people; most open to team building, to opportunity building."

No governor ever has switched parties while in office, said Joseph Kallenbach of the University of Michigan, who has written a three-volume history on governors. - Associated Press

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB