Elbert Guillory: "Why I Am a Republican" Louisiana Senator Elbert Guillory (R-Opelousas) explains why he recently switched from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party. He discusses the history of the Republican Party, founded as an Abolitionist Movement in 1854. Guillory talks about how the welfare state is only a mechanism for politicians to control the black community. ‘Free at Last’: La. State Senator Explains Why He Recently Left the ‘Government Plantation’ & Joined GOP in Powerful Video The Blaze Jun. 18, 2013