Gerald Boudreaux
Gerald Boudreaux, born September 16, 1960 in Houston, Texas, is a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate for District 24, which encompasses parts of Lafayette, St. Landry, and St. Martin parishes in south Louisiana.
In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 2015, Boudreaux defeated State Representative Ledricka Johnson Thierry, a fellow Democrat, 17,846 to 11,528. The position opened when the Republican incumbent, African-American attorney Elbert Guillory of Opelousas, ran last in a four-candidate field for lieutenant governor.
Boudreaux studied at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Since 1982, Boudreaux has worked in the parks and recreation department of the Lafayette Consolidated Government, most recently as the director. For twenty-eight years, he has been a referee of college basketball. He officiated in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four on five occasions. Boudreaux is Roman Catholic. He was worked for United Way of America. He and his wife, the former Carlos Cooper, have three daughters, Brittney, Hallie, and Whittney. His brother, Kenneth Paul Boudreaux, is the District 4 member of the Lafayette City-Parish Council.
Boudreaux vowed as a state senator to work for increased education funding. He is critical of the No Child Left Behind Act:
"We've left them behind, at home and in the street."
