Rick Edmonds

Edmonds earned a B.A. from East Texas Baptist College in 1979. He then earned a master of divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1990. His professional experience includes work as a pastor.[1]

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What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Build a wall around our voting data and processes: ensure no fraud – only American citizens who are registered in Louisiana should vote in our elections, support full voter ID laws, and create a cyber division that would focus on securing our data.

2) Build a bridge between government and entrepreneurship/small business: we need to reform the environment at the Secretary of State as it pertains to starting a business. The Secretary of State should partner with innovation centers all across the state to help new entrepreneurs start their Louisiana Dream!

3) Build a foundation of integrity at the Secretary of State's office: I have signed a 10-point pledge that demonstrates my commitment to the highest ethical standards. With the scandals that have occurred under both the past and current administrations, we must rebuild the people's trust in this office.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1) As you all may have read, there are currently bid-rigging allegations against the interim Secretary of State. This has now put a very large kink in the process of replacing our voting machines. The price has also ballooned. The original estimated cost was around $40 million; now, it is $95 million – a 137% increase! No explanation has been given regarding the increase. The taxpayers need to know the truth about why these costs have skyrocketed and about the accusations of bid-rigging. I say all this because the first big challenge will be salvaging this process. Most people believe there will be a lawsuit because of the mistakes made by the current administration, which will ultimately delay the process. I am supportive of the administration completely halting the process, replacing the evaluation committee again, and starting from scratch. This is the only way this process can move forward without questions of unethical behavior.

2) The second big challenge will be restoring trust in the office. I have been married to my wife, Cindy, for more than 44 years. I have four sons, four daughters-in-law, and eight grandchildren. I have the storybook family story. With this comes stability. You will not see my administration on the front page of the paper for scandalous or unethical behavior. We will run the operations of the office well and with more transparency than you have ever seen. This is how we restore trust.

3) Lastly, I think the third big challenge will be completely turning around the culture within the commercial division. Today, it is only a division of paperwork. You go online to fill out your Articles of Incorporation and to fill out your annual report. That is it. I think the office is really missing the mark here. The Secretary of State's office should be a hub for entrepreneurship, start-ups, and small business. We should help new business owners achieve their Louisiana Dream. I have had many discussions with innovation centers, business leaders, and with local elected officials about partnering new businesses with them. This way, our entrepreneurs and job creators could have some direction. Starting a business can be a scary thing. The Secretary of State should make the process not only easy but also rewarding for those who complete it.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Our state needs conservative leadership, especially in the areas of elections and voting. There are attacks aimed at the way we operate our elections here in Louisiana. We must have a proven fighter in charge of this office. There are numerous movements happening all over this country that are currently or will soon be at Louisiana's doorstep. These movements do nothing but weaken our ability to conduct secure elections. In San Francisco, they are allowing illegal immigrants to vote in school board elections. Seventeen states allow for same-day voting registration. Sixteen states do not request or require voter ID. I am against all of this, and I will fight all attempts to bring these movements to Louisiana.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

1) Conservative Record - Ultimately, there are some good candidate running. However, I am the only person in the race with a strong conservative record. Look at my votes and my scorecards from conservative groups. They cannot be matched by any other candidate in this race. When you put me side-by-side with the other legislators in this race, you will find that I especially have the most conservative pro-business record. Lastly, look at the pieces of legislation that I have passed. These pieces of legislation were not weak bills. They helped strengthen the pro-life status of our state, increased budget transparency, made adoption a more viable option, helped military personnel obtain civilian jobs easier, and cut government spending. You may read all this and say, "what does this have to do with becoming Secretary of State?" My response: it has everything to do with becoming Secretary of State. Our state needs a conservative fighter – one with a record of standing against government overreach. This watchdog approach can be brought to the Secretary of State's office as it pertains to fighting against voter fraud, protecting our data, and standing for secure elections. As it pertains to the commercial division, my LABI and NFIB scores demonstrate that I am your pro-business candidate. I will do everything I can within this office to promote small business and entrepreneurship. Our state's LED department only focuses on the 'big fish' companies. I want to be the statewide advocate for mom and pop stores, our young start-up entrepreneurs, and our single moms who want to start a side gig that will assist them in making a living for their children. They deserve a cheerleader too.

2) Ministry Background - Ultimately, my 40 years of experience in the ministry has given me a unique perspective that I will bring to this position. Above the administrative experience, the budgeting experience, and the legislative experience – I have spent my entire adult life serving people. Whether it was counseling a young married couple or visiting those who were in the hospital, God has laid the awesome responsibility on my heart of serving people. As your next Secretary of State, I cannot predict every situation that will come up during my tenure or every opportunity we may pursue; however, I can promise you one thing: I will always put the people of Louisiana first – not me, but them. This isn't just talk. Look at my legislative record. I have spent the past ten sessions living up to the promises I made on the campaign trail. I have fought against the attempts to raise our taxes and overregulate our businesses. And, I promised the folks of district 66 that I would be the hardest working state representative they ever had. For the past ten sessions and as a member of the two of the three committees that meet the most (Appropriations and Education), I have not missed a single day. When I am elected Secretary of State, I will bring the same conservative principles and hard-working attitude I have had as a state representative.

3) Conservative Stances on Issues Affecting this Office – 1) Make sure only American Citizens who are registered in Louisiana vote. 2) Form a cyber team in the office that works on protecting your voter and business data. 1) Create the 'Louisiana Dream' program that helps connect new business owners with the resources they need to be successful.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Build a foundation of integrity at the Secretary of State's office: I have signed a 10-point pledge that demonstrates my commitment to the highest ethical standards. With the scandals that have occurred under both the past and current administrations, we must rebuild the people's trust in this office.

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Is there anything you would like to add?

I am a proud Republican because I believe in family values, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberty. As a lifelong pastor, I have worked to teach and protect family values. I have worked with hundreds of couples throughout my work in the ministry and have been on the front line working to protect the Christian values I hold dear. I have a solid record, even before my days as a legislator, advocating for these values because I believe in them. I support pro-life policies, pro-adoption policies, and pro-traditional family values. As a legislator, I have had the honor to serve on the House Appropriation Committee. There, I have worked to champion bills that cut spending, promote fiscal restraint, and increase spending transparency. I have also voted against all of the taxes presented these past three years. The media and those supporting taxes went as far as to name me the “Chairman of the ‘NO’ Caucus” because of the votes I made against taxes. I am a firm believer that people and businesses do best with less government interference. I have continually supported policies that give people more freedom and government less power. Whether the bills dealt with Medicaid expansion or increases in government handouts, I have continually voted against these efforts. • In closing, I am a member of the Republican Party because I truly believe in the ideals – not because I am trying to get ahead politically. There are many in the legislature who say they are Republicans, but vote like Democrats. I am not one of those people. I talk the talk. I walk the walk. And, I live the values.

[2]

—Rick Edmonds[1]

Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2015. A primary election was held on October 24, 2015, with a general election held in districts where necessary on November 21, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 10, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.[3]

The elections for this office use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article. Incumbent Darrell Ourso (R) faced Antoine Pierce (D), Rick Bond (R), Rick Edmonds (R), and Rusty Secrist (R) in the October 24 blanket primary. Ourso and Edmonds advanced to the November 21 runoff, where Edmonds won election.[4][5]

Louisiana House of Representatives, District 66 Primary Election, 2015

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Darrell Ourso Incumbent

37.7%

4,660

Republican

Rick Edmonds

23.2%

2,869

Republican

Rick Bond

15.6%

1,924

Democratic

Antoine Pierce

15.3%

1,889

Republican

Rusty Secrist

8.2%

1,007

Total Votes

12,349

Louisiana House of Representatives, District 66 Runoff Election, 2015

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Rick Edmonds

52.1%

7,109

Republican

Darrell Ourso

47.9%

6,540

Total Votes

13,649