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Tom Schedler
John Thomas Schedler (born January 24, 1950 in New Orleans, Louisiana) was the Republican Louisiana Secretary of State from 2010 to 2018. Schedler replaced Jay Dardenne following his election as lieutenant governor on November 2, 2010.[1] Schedler was sworn in as secretary of state on November 22, 2010.[2] He stepped down on May 8, 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct.[3] To read more, click here.
Schedler announced his intention to seek re-election in the 2015 election in early 2014.[4] Tom Schedler won re-election in the October 24, 2015 Louisiana blanket primary.[5]
Schedler was mentioned in the wave of sexual misconduct allegations in late 2017 and 2018. To read more, click here.
Biography
Schedler served in the United States Naval Reserve for five years beginning in 1971 and then later was a member of the Louisiana National Guard. From 1984 until 1990, he worked as chairman of the Slidell Board of Zoning and Adjustment. In 1990, Schedler was brought on as director of managed care services and business development at a hospital in St. Tammany Parish, a role he maintained for six years.[6]
Schedler was appointed first assistant secretary of state in December of 2007 by Dardenne, a position he held until becoming secretary of state.[2]
Schedler has also served in the following roles:
- Member, Board of Directors for Savings Bank (1984-1990)
- Board Member, Greater Slidell Chamber of Commerce (1984-present)
- Member, Lions Club of Slidell (1988-1996)
- Graduate, Leadership Louisiana (1991)
- President, Rotary Club of Slidell (1995-1996)
- Member, Hammond Chamber of Commerce (1996-present)
- Member, Saint Tammany Chamber of Commerce (1996-present)
- Board Member, Hospice Foundation of South (2002-present)
- Board Member, Regional National Bank
- Chair, East Saint Tammany United Way
- Member, Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church
- Member, Saint Tammany Association of Retarded Citizens
- Member, Slidell Boys and Girls Club[6]
Education
- Graduated from De La Salle High School (1967)
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, University of Southwestern Louisiana (1971)[7]
Political career
Louisiana Secretary of State (2011-2018)
Schedler was the Republican Louisiana Secretary of State from 2010 to 2018. He replaced Jay Dardenne who was elected as Lieutenant Governor on November 2nd, 2010.[8] Though Dardenne was set to take office immediately following the general election, he chose to delay his assumption of his new duties until November 22 in order to circumvent a statutory requirement that calls for "any statewide elected office that's vacant at least a year [to] be filled by [special] election;" Dardenne contended that this would save the state $6 million in election costs.[9]
Schedler resigned effective May 8, 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct.[3] To read more, click here.
Prior to his elevation as Secretary of State, Schedler served twelve years in the Louisiana State Senate and two years as Chief Deputy to former Secretary of State Jay Dardenne.
Schedler was sworn in as secretary of state on November 22, 2010, when then-secretary of state Jay Dardenne was sworn in as lieutenant governor.[6]
June 2017 request for voter rolls
On June 29, 2017, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, created by President Donald Trump (R) on May 11, requested information on registered voters from all 50 states dating back to 2006. The states were given until July 14 to respond. On July 3, Secretary Schedler announced that the state would refuse to provide the requested information to the commission.
| “ | The President’s Commission has quickly politicized its work by asking states for an incredible amount of voter data that I have, time and time again, refused to release...My response to the Commission is, you're not going to play politics with Louisiana’s voter data, and if you are, then you can purchase the limited public information available by law, to any candidate running for office. That’s it.[10] | ” |
| —Secretary Tom Schedler[11] | ||
Louisiana State Senate (1996-2008)
From 1996 until 2008, Schedler was a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate, representing the St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes in the 11th Senate District. He made numerous contributions during his tenure as a state legislator, among them co-authoring the repeal of the Louisiana inheritance tax with then-State Representative David Vitter and leading the passage of the first major reform bill aimed at dealing with the state charity hospital system.
For six years beginning in 1990, Schedler worked as a member of the Slidell City Council. During his tenure, he served first as vice president and then later as president of the local governmental body.[6]
Elections
2015
Schedler successfully ran for re-election as Louisiana Secretary of State in the 2015 election.
Results
There were only two candidates on the ballot in the primary election on October 24, 2015. Incumbent Secretary of State Schedler won a majority of votes, eliminating the need for a general election contest in November.[12]
| Secretary of State of Louisiana, Blanket Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Tom Schedler |
62.2% | 649,153 | |
| Democrat | Chris Tyson | 37.8% | 394,153 | |
| Total Votes | 1,043,306 | |||
| Election Results Louisiana Secretary of State. | ||||
Polls
Primary election candidates match-up
| Secretary of State | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Tom Schedler (R) | Chris Tyson (D) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Triumph Campaigns September 29-30, 2015 | 44% | 33% | 23% | +/-2.4 | 1,047 | ||||||||||||||
| MarblePort Polling/The Hayride September 10, 2015 | 45.5% | 33.6% | 20.9% | +/-3 | 1,324 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 44.75% | 33.3% | 21.95% | +/-2.7 | 1,185.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance
Second quarter report (2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $167,847.77 and spent a total of $102,624.33 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on September 24, 2015.[13]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
Chris Tyson  |
Louisiana Secretary of State | $87,073.84 | $105,891.32 | $99,990.40 | $79,974.76 |
Tom Schedler  |
Louisiana Secretary of State | $342,168.44 | $61,956.45 | $2,633.93 | $397,534.51 |
| Grand Total Raised | $167,847.77 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $102,624.33 | ||||
First quarter report (2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $114,624.16 and spent a total of $74,294.27 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on May 4, 2015.[14]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Chris Tyson |
Louisiana Secretary of State | $77,986.69 | $80,318.25 | $67,553.40 | $87,073.84 |
| Tom Schedler |
Louisiana Secretary of State | $314,698.31 | $34,305.91 | $6,740.87 | $342,168.44 |
| Grand Total Raised | $114,624.16 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $74,294.27 | ||||
Annual report (2014)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $111,730.21 and spent a total of $126,235.14 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on February 19, 2015.[15]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Chris Tyson |
Louisiana Secretary of State | $79,013.10 | $111,730.21 | $109,580.92 | $77,962.39 |
| Tom Schedler |
Louisiana Secretary of State | $16,654.22 | $0 | $16,654.22 | $0 |
| Grand Total Raised | $111,730.21 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $126,235.14 | ||||
2011
Schedler won election to a full four-year term as Louisiana Secretary of State on October 22, 2011. He defeated fellow Republican and Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives Jim Tucker, who was the only candidate to register to run against him. State Rep. Walker Hines and New Orleans attorney Caroline Fayard considered running, but ultimately chose not to. Schedler captured more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, winning re-election outright.
| Louisiana Secretary of State, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Tom Schedler Incumbent |
50.5% | 449,616 | |
| Republican | Jim Tucker | 49.5% | 441,170 | |
| Total Votes | 890,786 | |||
| Election results via Louisiana Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Schedler has resided in Slidell, Louisiana with his wife, Stephanie Gele. The couple have three children together - Michelle, Rachael, and Jennifer. They also have three grandchildren. He is also a practicing Roman Catholic.[6]
Schedler has received the following awards:
- Slidell Citizen of the Year Award (1990)
- Legislator of the Month Award (1999) from Louisiana Municipal Association
- Outstanding Legislator Award (1999) from the Victims and Citizens Against Crime
- Legislator of the Year Award (2000) from the Alliance for Good Government
- Legislator of the Year Award (2000) from the President's Committee on Mental Retardation
- Legislator of the Year Award (2000) from the Louisiana Hospital Association
- Legislator of the Year Award (2000) from the Louisiana Association for Mental Health
- Franklin Smith Award (2001) from the Association for Retarded Citizens of Louisiana
- Legislator of the Year Award (2002) from the Rural Hospital Coalition
- Legislator of the Year Award (2002) from the Louisiana School Counselor Association
- Legislator of the Year Award (2003) from the Black Bag Medical Society[6]
Noteworthy events
Resignation following sexual harassment allegations (2018)
On May 8, 2018, Schedler resigned from office after allegations surfaced that he sexually harassed a woman who previously worked as his executive secretary. The woman made the allegations on February 22, claiming that he had been sexually harassing her since 2017. She claimed that he repeatedly asked her to enter into a relationship with her, made sexual advances on her, and sent her sex tapes, and that he transferred her to undesirable assignments in retaliation for refusing his advances.
In response to the allegation, Schedler said, "I have not seen the suit or the specific details but as the father of three grown daughters and three granddaughters I can assure the public that I believe in a safe workplace, free from harassment, and will continue my record of transparency with my constituents."[16] Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) called on Schedler to resign.[3]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Tom + Schedler + Louisiana + Secretary"
See also
| Louisiana | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
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- Louisiana Secretary of State
- Secretary of State
- Louisiana secretary of state election, 2011
- Louisiana Secretary of State election, 2015
External links
- Campaign website (Facebook)
- Project Vote Smart - John T. Schedler biography
- Campaign contributions, 1999-2015
Footnotes
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Jay Dardenne elected to lieutenant governor's post" 2 Nov. 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Tom Schedler" accessed January 27, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Associated Press, "Louisiana elections chief quits amid sexual misconduct claim," May 1, 2018
- ↑ The Advocate, "Schedler draws competition," March 4, 2014
- ↑ The Lens, "Election 2015," accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Louisiana Secretary of State, "About Tom Schedler," accessed February 19, 2015
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Tom Schedler's Biography," accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Jay Dardenne elected to lieutenant governor's post" 2 Nov. 2010
- ↑ The News Star, "Dardenne delay saves $6 million" 4 Nov. 2010
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Baton Rouge Advocate, "Louisiana refuses to provide personal information to President Trump's voter fraud task force," July 3, 2017
- ↑ The Lens, "Election 2015," accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "View Campaign Finance Reports," accessed September 24, 2015
- ↑ Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "View Campaign Finance Reports," accessed May 4, 2015
- ↑ Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "View Campaign Finance Reports," accessed February 19, 2015
- ↑ The Advocate, "Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler accused of sexual harassment in lawsuit," February 22, 2018
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jay Dardenne (R) |
Louisiana Secretary of State 2010–2018 |
Succeeded by Kyle Ardoin (acting) |
| Preceded by Gerry E. Hinton |
Louisiana State Senate 1996–2008 |
Succeeded by Jack Donahue (R) |
| |||||||||||||||||||
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State of Louisiana Baton Rouge (capital) |
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