Rick Ward, III
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Richard Joseph Ward III, known as Rick Ward III (born June 1982), is an attorney and politician from Port Allen, Louisiana, who was a Republican member of the
Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...
, representing
district 17 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
until his resignation in June 2022.


Background

A native of Livonia in Pointe Coupee Parish, Ward attended Bethany Christian School in
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, Louisiana before attending Louisiana State University and
Southern University Law Center Southern University Law Center is a public law school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is part of the historically black Southern University System and was opened for instruction in September 1947. It was authorized by the Louisiana State Board ...
, both in Baton Rouge. He and his wife, the former Dawn White, reside in
Maringouin Maringouin is a town in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2010 census, down from 1,262 at the 2000 census. At the 2020 population estimates program, its population was 966. It is part of the Baton Rouge ...
in Iberville Parish with their three children, Reese, Hayes and Hudson. The Ward family attends Bethany World Prayer Center.


Political career

In July 2013, Ward left the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
and became a Republican. He became the twenty-sixth Republican senator, with thirteen remaining Democrats. Ward's District 17 encompasses all or parts of several parishes, including
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,
East Baton Rouge East Baton Rouge Parish (french: Paroisse de Bâton Rouge Est) is the most populous parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 U.S. census, its population was 440,171, and 456,781 at the 2020 census. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Lou ...
, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee,
St. Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
, St. Martin, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana. Ward handily won the nonpartisan blanket primary in the fall of 2011 over another Democrat, Larry Thomas, 25,645 (70 percent) to 11,000 (30 percent). He succeeded the term-limited Senator
Robert M. Marionneaux Robert Marionneaux Jr. is/was an American politician who served Louisiana's 17th State Senate district, District 17 in the Louisiana Senate from 2000 to 2012 and the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000 as a Democratic Party (United ...
, also of Maringouin. Ward has a 62 percent rating from the interest group, the
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. However, he only scored a 33% in 2013, which ranked him 29th out of 39 state senators. In 2013, he also scored 30 with the Louisiana Legislative Log's conservative index.


Congressional race abandoned

After becoming a Republican, Ward was criticized for switching parties to enhance his chances of winning Louisiana's 6th congressional district seat in 2014. The incumbent,
Bill Cassidy William Morgan Cassidy (born September 28, 1957) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Louisiana, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Louisian ...
, was leaving the United States House of Representatives to challenge
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
Mary Landrieu. Scott McKay, writer for conservative Louisiana politics blog ''The Hayride'', stated that Ward had voted "to expand Medicaid, push a
Lilly Ledbetter Lilly McDaniel Ledbetter (born April 14, 1938) is an American activist who was the plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court case '' Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'' regarding employment discrimination. Two years after the Supreme C ...
Junior bill in the state legislature and oppose term limits for school board hacks, is a pretty dubious proposition.". However, Ward decided not to seek the U.S. House seat after he determined that a congressional race and service if elected would take too much time from the formative years of his young children. At the end of the special legislative session in June 2017, Ward introduced a resolution calling upon lawmakers to act in a more civil fashion toward one another, not to let partisanship and political views sour personal relations with colleagues. "There are always a lot of heated discussions, but it seems to me like we're moving away from philosophical disagreements on issues and getting personal," Ward said. State Representative
Chris Broadwater Christopher D. Broadwater, known as Chris Broadwater (born March 22, 1972), is an attorney in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who was a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 86, which encompasses within Tangipahoa Pa ...
, a Republican from
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, introduced Ward's resolution in the House, where it passed without opposition.
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
Mike Johnson James Michael Johnson (born January 30, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since October 25, 20 ...
of Louisiana's 4th congressional district, who is a former member of the state House of Representatives, expressed a similar view in a document which he wrote as a congressional freshman.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Rick III 1982 births Living people Louisiana state senators Louisiana Democrats Louisiana Republicans People from Maringouin, Louisiana People from Port Allen, Louisiana Louisiana lawyers Louisiana State University alumni Southern University Law Center alumni 21st-century American politicians People from Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana