| Jeffrey Martin Landry | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 3rd district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Charlie Melancon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 23, 1970 St. Martinville, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sharon LeBlanc Landry; 1 son |
| Residence | New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Louisiana at Lafayette Loyola University New Orleans Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney; businessman |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army Louisiana National Guard |
| Years of service | 1987–1998 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Awards | Army Achievement Medal Army Commendation Medal Louisiana War Cross |
Jeffrey Martin "Jeff" Landry (born December 23, 1970) is the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.
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Landry's mother is a religion school teacher at Trinity Catholic School in St. Martinville, the seat of St. Martin Parish. His father is an architect and businessman. Jeff Landry received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana) in environmental and sustainable resources, with a minor in biology. He earned a JD degree from Loyola University New Orleans Law School.[1]
He served at Ft. Hood during Operation Desert Storm, having been discharged from the Louisiana National Guard with the rank of sergeant. He served eleven years in the Louisiana National Guard. His military commendations include the Army Achievement and Army Commendation medals, National Defense and Overseas Training ribbons, and the Louisiana War Cross.[1][2]
Landry is a former sheriff's deputy in St. Martin Parish and was previously a police officer in Parks in St. Martin Parish. He was formerly employed by the St. Martin Economic Development Authority. Out of high school, he worked in the sugar cane fields.[1] He is an attorney and small businessman in New Iberia.[1]
In the 2007 general election, Landry narrowly lost a race for the District 22 seat in the Louisiana State Senate to the Democrat Troy Hebert of Jeanerette in Iberia Parish, who later declared himself an Independent. The two competed for the right to succeed the term-limited Republican senator, Craig Romero, for whom Landry had been a senatorial aide. Landry polled 14,308 votes (49 percent) to Hebert's 14,876 (51 percent).[3] At the time the district had a 3-1 Democratic majority.[1]
A lifelong Republican,[1] Landry jumped into the race after Democratic incumbent Charlie Melancon gave up the seat to make an unsuccessful run for the Senate against David Vitter. Landry won his party's congressional nomination in a runoff election held on October 2. He defeated former Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives Hunt Downer by 19,657 votes to 10,549 votes (65% to 35%). He won every parish in the district except for Downer's Terrebonne Parish.[4]
Landry participated in 2010 in Louisiana Tea Party movement rallies and carries the endorsement of that organization. The Third District voted 61-37 for U.S. Senator John S. McCain of Arizona in the 2008 presidential election. [5]The Tea Party ran a "Down with Downer" campaign and referred to him as a Democrat (Downer had been a Democrat until 2001). Downer accused Landry of compensating a Tea Party organizer in return for the endorsement of the group. Downer ran advertising which accused Landry of misleading voters about Downer's position on abortion.[5]
Landry nearly won the GOP nomination outright in the August 28 closed primary, but he fell .9 of 1 percent short of the 50 percent plus one-vote threshold required for nomination in Louisiana. Therefore he and Downer entered the runoff contest. In the showdown, Landry won 79 percent in his own Iberia Parish, while Downer was held to 61 percent in Terrebonne. Landry polled more than 70 percent in the runoff in St. Mary, St. Martin, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, and St. James parishes.[4]
In 2003, Downer, who like Landry received his law degree from Loyola New Orleans, had trailed badly in the nonpartisan blanket primary for governor in a contest ultimately won by the Democrat Kathleen Blanco of Lafayette, then the winner over her eventual successor, Republican Bobby Jindal.
Landry defeated the Democrat Ravi Kishan Sangisetty, an attorney from Houma, 108,957 votes (64%) to 61,909 (36%). He won all but two smaller parishes in the district, St. James and St. John the Baptist. He won Sangisetty's own Terrebonne Parish.[6] Landry became the second freshman Republican to represent the 3rd District since Reconstruction.
Both candidates pledged to reject congressional perks for themselves, including retirement and health care benefits. Landry said that Sangisetty's "choice of party affiliation and alliance with his Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, proves he supports the Washington Democrat's liberal agenda of increased taxes, government takeovers of private industry and dramatically liberal values."[7]
Since Louisiana lost a district due to population losses from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, the district will be absorbed by adjoining districts in the upcoming 2012 congressional elections.[5] Landry is running for re-election in newly redrawn 3rd CD, and will face Republican Lafayette-based U.S. Congressman Charles Boustany in the primary. Boustany was elected in 2004, and will be the establishment candidate, while Landry, whose a Freshman, will be a grassroots tea party candidate. Landry was endorsed by Citizens United. Landry lead Boustany in third-quarter 2011 fundraising, $251,000 to $218,000. According to Federal Election Commission, Boustany leads in cash-on-hand lead, $1.1 million-$402,000.[8]
Landry and his wife, the former Sharon LeBlanc, have one son. He is a member of the Roman Catholic men's organization, the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion, the American Bar Association, Iberia Parish Republican Executive Committee, Ducks Unlimited and the National Rifle Association.[1]
|title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20100824/ARTICLES/100829683/1212?p=all&tc=ar.| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charlie Melancon |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district January 3, 2011 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Raúl Labrador R-Idaho |
United States Representatives by seniority 393rd |
Succeeded by James Lankford R-Oklahoma |