Primary Election Date: 10/22/2011
General Election Date: 11/19/2011

Who Am I?

I am a life long resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Upon graduating from McKinley Sr. High, I attended Southern University where I received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. I later received a Juris Doctorate from the Southern University Law Center, and it was during my studies there that I discovered a passion for using the law as a means of advancing public policy.

During the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, I joined the Office of Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and dedicated myself to the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. In my capacity as the Governor’s Policy Advisor on Housing, Social Services and Community Development, I assisted in securing a $25 million investment in the Louisiana Housing Trust Fund. I was also instrumental in developing the Louisiana Relocation Program.

After the Blanco Administration, I served as a Staff Attorney with the Louisiana House of Representatives where I further developed my skills in law and constitutional processes, as well as legislative drafting and advocacy. I drafted legislation that revamped workforce development and training and strengthened Louisiana’s unemployment and workman’s compensation laws.

In 2009, I continued my professional experience as Special Counsel to the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue where I was charged with developing the legislative strategy for the Department.

More recently in 2010, I was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to serve on the Louisiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.

I currently maintain an active legal practice where I often provide pro bono legal assistance to indigent clients.

Why Am I Running?

I am personally vested in the success of my hometown. My value of community was instilled in me early on by parents who taught me the importance of service to others, community empowerment, social justice and equal access to quality education. These core values are what guide me as I run for state representative. It is why I am not only running a people powered campaign, but why I will actively work to keep my constituents engaged in moving our district forward once elected.

Hold Me Accountable!

The top three issues facing the residents of District 101 are Education, Economic Development, and Healthcare.

Education: I would not have found success in my life without the education I received right here in Baton Rouge. All of our children should have that same opportunity. As state representative, I will work to ensure every child has access to a quality education. This starts with early childhood education, making sure LA-4 has the support it needs to provide that first step for every child. Our K-12 students and teachers deserve proper resources in the classroom, the tools of the trade to make learning possible. When it comes to higher education, I will fight to protect our institutions from further budget cuts that strip them of excellence. We must develop students who are ready to compete globally.

Economic Development: Our district is an industrial corridor seeking to be reborn. The Louisiana Legislature recently created the Airline Highway-Greenwell Springs Economic Development District, and its boundaries lie in House District 101. I will work closely with district committee members to ensure that it implements programming that will strengthen our existing businesses and neighborhoods, as well as recruit new businesses to invest in our district.

Healthcare: I will fight to ensure that every resident has access to quality, affordable healthcare. Healthcare is a major concern for our district with the upcoming closure of the only charity hospital in our city, Earl K Long. This hospital has serviced our uninsured for decades, and its closure poses major issues for a large portion of our district. I will fight to expand primary and preventative care options. I will also push for the expansion of evening and weekend clinic hours in existing facilities to accommodate working families.

My DFA values:

We strongly believe the Democratic Party must be reformed from the bottom-up. In Louisiana, in particular, this is exceptionally vital. The conservative right has an unhealthy stronghold in this state and our party must be rebuilt with ordinary people who are willing to take innovative approaches to solving the old problems our state has been facing for years. We must begin to move the pendulum in the opposite direction for a more balanced political economy.

Our campaign will help reform the political landscape by getting a young progressive elected into legislature - but just as importantly, our campaign will re-engage and empower constituents to be active in moving our community forward. Capacity building is vital. As we develop leaders in our campaign, we believe we are developing future leaders for the party as well.

My Campaign is People-Powered!

Two examples that demonstrate we are a people-powered campaign are the way we've developed our team structure and our house meeting model. We have community members who take ownership when they join Team Ted through leadership roles. Our team captains train and lead new volunteers in conducting direct voter contact activities. We have Phone Bank Captains, Canvassing Captains, and a House Meeting Coordinator. Our House Meeting Coordinator works with supporters in the district to facilitate house meetings that engage community members in discussions about how they can join the campaign team and what they believe it takes to move the district forward.