Andy Anders

John Felix Anders, known as Andy Anders (born May 3, 1956), is a farmer and agricultural equipment salesman from Clayton in eastern Louisiana, who is a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 21, which encompasses Concordia and parts of Tensas, Madison, and East Carroll parishes.

Background

Anders graduated in 1979 from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, where he procured a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and business. In addition to farm equipment sales, he raises cattle and hay. Anders and his wife, the former Nancy Ratcliff, have three daughters, Dr. Bridget Anders Milliken and husband, Dr. Tom Terry Milliken; Dr. Rachel Anders Durel and husband, Dr. Jason Durel, and Emily Cooper Anders.^[1][2]

Anders initially won his House seat in a special election held on September 20, 2006, to replace the Democrat Bryant Hammett, who resigned to become secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in the administration of Governor Kathleen Blanco. He polled 4,616 (49.2 percent) and defeated two fellow Democrats to fill the fifteen months remaining in Hammett's term. In the regular nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007, Anders, with 8,254 voters (60.75 percent), defeated three intra-party rivals.^[3]

Anders is chairman of the House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee and serves too on the Insurance and Homeland Security committees. He is a member of the Tensas-Concordia Soil and Water Conservation Board, the Concordia Farm Bureau Board, and the State and Rural Agriculture Leadership. He is also a member of Rotary International in Ferriday. ^[1]

In 2010, Anders's voting record was ranked 75 percent by the conservative Louisiana Family Forum and 69 percent by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. In the 2011 legislative session, Anders voted to make the cigarette tax permanent and to establish a commission to investigate the proposed abolition of the state income tax.^[4]

Anders won reelection to the House in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011. He defeated fellow Democrat Justin "Preacher" Conner of Ferriday, 9,217 votes (69.4 percent) to 4,060 votes (30.6 percent).^[5]

Anders endorsed the reelection in 2014 of Democrat U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu,^[6] who was unseated by the Republican Bill Cassidy.

Anders ran unopposed for reelection to the House in the primary election held on October 24, 2015.^[7]

In August 2018, Anders was placed in ICU because of a sudden life-threatening illness. He was released a few days later.^[8]

References