Louisiana State Rep. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport), who recently announced he has removed his name from consideration for a Federal judgeship and will instead run for re-election as well as seek to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives in Louisiana.
On June 26, 2018, Sound Off Louisiana published its Louisiana Legislative “Wall of Excellence” to express appreciation for 21 Legislators (20 Republicans and one Democrat) who steadfastly voted “no” on Governor John Bel Edwards’ repeated calls for a sales tax renewal during multiple Special Sessions of the 2018 Louisiana Legislature.
Recently, we’ve been contacted by several candidates intending to challenge incumbents who voted in favor of those tax increases. Those challengers have asked if we would update our “No Penny Renewal” website in order to assist them in their challenge efforts. Since that has always been the intent of that website, we were only too happy to do so!
For those subscribers who recall the format of the previous No Penny Renewal website, we have completely overhauled it to make it a mirror image of the Wall of Excellence referenced above. Hence, if voters know that an incumbent is seeking re-election, and that incumbent is NOT pictured on the wall, then that incumbent voted “yes” on the sales tax measures on one or more occasions (or didn’t vote at all on one or more occasions).
By placing the focus on those who stood firm in opposing Edwards’ sales tax increase measures, we believe we get the dual benefit of assisting challengers AND helping to ensure incumbents who seek re-election who stood firm and opposed the tax increase measures ARE re-elected!
So, with that, here is a replication of the “new and improved” No Penny Renewal website:
NoPennyRenewal theme song. (Note: Photo courtesy of
The Hayride).
Then-candidate John Bel Edwards (D-Amite) flatly says “no” in response to a question of whether he would raise taxes on individuals or businesses if elected Governor of Louisiana. Edwards made that promise to voters on 11/16/15, mere days before the runoff election between himself and then-U. S. Sen. David Vitter (R-Metairie).
Despite the above emphatic pledge to the voters of Louisiana, no sooner had Gov. Edwards been sworn into office in January of 2016 than did he IMMEDIATELY seek a full one-cent hike in Louisiana’ state sales tax rate. His action resulted in Louisiana having one of the highest sales taxes in the nation. The Louisiana Legislature would only go along with the hike for 27 months, so the tax was all set to expire on June 30, 2018. Instead, ONLY THE FOLLOWING LEGISLATORS CONSISTENTLY VOTED “NO” EVERY SINGLE TIME ENTAILING RENEWING ANY PORTION OF THE SALES TAX:
Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Houma, District 51, Phone: (985) 858-2967 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
Rep. Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City, District 8, Phone: (318) 716-7532 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
Rep. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, District 66, Phone: (225) 295-9240 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, District 39, Phone: (337) 886-4687 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
Rep. Reid Falconer, R-Mandeville, District 89, Phone: (985) 792-5185 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
Rep. Raymond Garofalo, Jr., R-Chalmette, District 103, Phone: (504) 277-4729 [email protected]
Final Term: 2020.
Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, District 82, Phone: (504) 838-5433 [email protected]
Final Term: 2016; however, Rep. Henry is expected to run for Senate District 9 (previously held by Sen. Conrad Appel, who is term limited).
Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, District 1, Phone: (985) 646-6490 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
CLICK HERE for a great feature article in The Hayride on Sen. Hewitt’s Senate Floor speech on “the burden on the everyday taxpayer,” which is complete with a video of her speech.
Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, District 64, Phone: (225) 791-2199 [email protected]
Final Term: 2020.
Rep. Dotie Horton, R-Haughton, District 9, Phone: (318) 949-2463 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
Rep. Barry Ivey, R-Central, District 65, Phone: (225) 261-5739 [email protected]
Final Term: 2020.
CLICK HERE for the feature referencing Rep. Ivey’s assistance on recognizing the problematic nature of the Louisiana Auctioneer Licensing Board.
Rep. Sherman Mack, R-Albany, District 95, Phone: (985) 567-3677 [email protected]
Final Term: 2020.
Rep. Blake Miguez, R-Erath, District 49, Phone: (337) 937-8827 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
Sen. John Milkovich, D-Shreveport, District 38, Phone: (318) 676-7877 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
CLICK HERE for the feature referencing Sen. Milkovich’s assistance on recognizing the problematic nature of the Louisiana Auctioneer Licensing Board.
Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, District 12, Phone: (985) 839-7714 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
Rep. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, District 14, Phone: (318) 362-4270 [email protected]
Final Term: 2020.
Sen. Jonathan Perry (converts to Sen. Hensgens – see below), R-Kaplan (now R-Abbeville), District 26, Phone: (337) 893-5035 [email protected]
Final Term: 2032.
Note: Sen. Perry won an election to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and his seat was won in a special election by Bob Hensgens (R-Abbeville); it should be noted to any challenger of Hensgens (pictured above) that, in sharp contrast to Perry, Hensgens cast “YES” votes on the sales tax measures on 5/25/18 (0.33 cent), 5/28/18 (0.33 cent), and 6/22/18 (0.45 cent, which ultimately became law).
Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, District 32, Phone: (318) 649-0977 [email protected]
Final Term: 2016; however, Sen. Riser intends to seek election to the House of Representatives.
Rep. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, District 5, Phone: (318) 676-7990 [email protected]
Final Term: 2020.
CLICK HERE for Rep. Seabaugh’s “fire and brimstone sermonette” entailing the 2017 attempted gas tax increase (second feature).
Rep. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, District 78, Phone: (504) 736-7299 [email protected]
Final Term: 2016; however, Rep. Talbot is expected to run for Senate District 10 (previously held by Sen. Dan Martiny, who is term limited).
Rep. Mark Wright, R-Covington, District 77, Phone: (985) 893-6262 [email protected]
Final Term: 2024.
So, here’s the bottom line:
When you go to the polls on October 12, 2019 and you see an incumbent running who is NOT pictured (Exception: Bob Hengsens as explained above, who voted FOR Edwards’ sales tax renewal on multiple occasions), you KNOW that he or she voted on one or more occasions to raise your sales taxes (or didn’t vote on one or more occasions)!!
In so doing, those incumbents seeking re-election have assisted Gov. Edwards in breaking his campaign promise to the voters of Louisiana not to raise your taxes. Therefore, from our vantage point, incumbents who are NOT pictured above are no more worthy of being re-elected than he is!!
Any incumbent who is NOT pictured is hell-bent on continuing Louisiana’s status quo of funding massive governmental bloat and has demonstrated ZERO will to rein in such bloat and therefore should be kicked right out of office, and we hope this website helps voters in re-electing ONLY THOSE LEGISLATORS WHO ARE PICTURED ABOVE (with the notable exception of Hensgens, whom we sincerely hope draws a challenger who defeats him)!!
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