U.S. Government: Elected Officials

  • U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Lafayette)

    Captain Clay Higgins is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing South Louisiana.

    Raised on a horse ranch, Clay Higgins’ South Louisiana roots run deep. After graduating from high school, he attended LSU and then went on to serve in the United States Army/Louisiana National Guard as a Military Police Officer, and he attained the rank of E-6, Staff Sergeant.

    Higgins had many successful years in business but returned to uniform service as a street cop in 2004. He worked patrol, primarily night shift, and he was a well-known SWAT operator. Prior to joining Congress in 2017, Higgins is best known for his Crime Stoppers videos for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. The program was one of the most successful in the history of law enforcement. Most of the featured crimes were solved and what was most significant was that many of the suspects responded to “Uncle Clay’s” message of redemption and turned themselves in. Captain Higgins continues to actively serve the Thin Blue Line retaining a valid Law Enforcement commission and his Louisiana State POST Certification.

    As a veteran and highly decorated law enforcement officer, Congressman Higgins continues to protect and serve in the nation’s capital. He is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight & Reform Committee.

    A committed Constitutionalist, Congressman Higgins believes in restoring the federal government envisioned by our Founding Fathers. Higgins believes in smaller government, less bureaucracy, free markets, a strong national defense and securing America’s sovereign borders. From Morgan City to the Texas line, Higgins has sworn a sacred oath to protect and serve the people of South Louisiana.

  • U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.)

    John Kennedy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. He has built a distinguished career as a conservative champion for the people of Louisiana and a dedicated watchdog of taxpayer money.

    Sen. Kennedy serves on the Appropriations, Banking, Budget, Judiciary, and Small Business Committees in the U.S. Senate. He serves as the top Republican of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, and Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy.

    Prior to his election to the Senate, Sen. Kennedy served as state treasurer of Louisiana for five terms. As treasurer, he oversaw the state’s multi-billion dollar investment portfolios. He also oversaw local and state bond issues and returned millions of dollars in unclaimed property each year.

    Sen. Kennedy served as secretary of the Department of Revenue, special counsel to Gov. Roemer and secretary of Gov. Roemer’s cabinet. He was also an attorney and partner in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans law firm of Chaffe McCall.

    Sen. Kennedy graduated magna cum laude in political science, philosophy, and economics from Vanderbilt University, was president of his senior class, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an executive editor of the “Virginia Law Review” and elected to the Order of the Coif. He earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first class honors from Oxford University (Magdalen College) in England, where he studied under Sir Rupert Cross and Sir John H. C. Morris.

    Sen. Kennedy has written and published the following books and articles: “Louisiana State Constitutional Law,” “The Dimension of Time in the Louisiana Products Liability Act,” “The Role of the Consumer Expectation Test Under Louisiana’s Products Liability Doctrine,” “A Primer on the Louisiana Products Liability Act,” “Assumption of the Risk, Comparative Fault and Strict Liability After Rozell,” and “The Federal Power Commission, Job Bias and NAACP v. FPC.”

    Sen. Kennedy served as an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center from 2002 to 2016. He regularly volunteers as a substitute teacher in Louisiana public schools. He resides in Madisonville, Louisiana, with his wife Becky and their dogs, Charlie and Jack. The Kennedys are founding members of their local Methodist church.