Charles Boustany | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Chris John |
| Succeeded by | Clay Higgins |
| Constituency |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles William Boustany Jr. (1956-02-21)February 21, 1956 (age 69) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Bridget Edwards |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
Charles William Boustany Jr. (/bʊˈstæni/; born February 21, 1956) is an American politician, physician, and former congressman fromLafayette,Louisiana, who served as theU.S. representative fromLouisiana's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2017 (numbered as the7th district from 2005 to 2013). He is a member of theRepublican Party.
Boustany stepped down from the U.S. House in January 2017; he was a candidate for theUnited States Senate in 2016 in a bid to succeed the retiring RepublicanDavid Vitter. Boustany did not advance beyond the primary election, finishing third in thejungle primary behind RepublicanJohn Neely Kennedy andDemocratFoster Campbell. He was succeeded in the House of Representatives byClay Higgins, a Republican who is aLafayette law enforcement officer residing outside the district inSt. Landry Parish. Since leaving Congress, he has worked as a lobbyist.[1] He endorsedKamala Harris in the2024 United States presidential election.[2]
Boustany was born inLafayette, Louisiana, the son of Madlyn M. (née Ackal) and Charles W. Boustany Sr. (1930–2009); his paternal grandparents, Alfred FremBoustany and Florida (née Saloom), wereimmigrants fromLebanon.[3][better source needed] His maternal grandparents were also Lebanese.[4]
In 2006, he was one of fourMiddle Eastern American members of Congress.[5]
The senior Boustany, a Democrat, served for sixteen years ascoroner ofLafayette Parish. Congressman Boustany has nine siblings: James, Jon, Ron, Stella (Dr. Stella B. Noel), Therese (Mrs. Reggie), Kathryn (Mrs. Scurlock), Madlyn (Mrs. Juneau), Adele (Mrs. Weber), and Cheryn (Mrs. Eppley).[6] He is a cousin ofVictoria Reggie Kennedy, widow ofU.S. SenatorEdward M. Kennedy ofMassachusetts.[7]
Boustany attended theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette, at which he was a member ofKappa Alpha Order fraternity. He earned his medical degree fromLouisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans in 1978. He is a retiredcardiovascular surgeon who completed his residency inRochester,New York before returning to Louisiana to take a job atCharity Hospital, New Orleans.[citation needed]
During Boustany's medical career, he was the defendant in at least three malpractice suits. In a 2000 case, Geraldine Arceneaux, was awarded $1.2 Million in damages from a state compensation fund. Prior to filing the lawsuit, filed a complaint with the state's Medical Review Panel, which found his conduct to be "below the acceptable standard of care." In 1992, Melanie Malagarie filed a malpractice suit which resulted in an award of $600,000 in damages. In 1995, Delila Hays filed a medical malpractice suit which resulted in an unspecified settlement.[8]
In 2004, incumbent Democratic U.S. CongressmanChris John ofLouisiana's 7th congressional district decided to retire in order to run for the U.S. Senate. John had held the district for eight years without serious difficulty, even though it had been trending increasingly Republican at the national level. Boustany jumped into the race with another Republican, the lateDavid Thibodaux of Lafayette, Democratic state senatorWillie Mount of Lake Charles and Democratic state representativeDon Cravins Jr. ofOpelousas. In the open primary election, Boustany ranked first with 39 percent, with Mount garnering 25 percent for second place.[9] Under Louisiana'snonpartisan blanket primary system, in the event no candidate wins a "50 percent plus one vote" total, arunoff is conducted between the two top candidates, regardless of party.
Vice PresidentDick Cheney campaigned on behalf of Boustany. In the December 4 run-off election, Boustany defeated Mount 55–45 percent.[10] He was only the second Republican to represent the district, the first having beenJimmy Hayes, who switched from Democratic affiliation in 1995.[citation needed]
Boustany won re-election to a second term with 71 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Mike Stagg.[11]
Boustany won re-election to a third term defeatingDemocratDon Cravins, Jr. andConstitution Party candidate Peter Vidrine.[12]
Boustany won re-election to a fourth term unopposed.[13]
After Louisiana lost a district in redistricting, most of Boustany's territory became the 3rd District. He faced freshman fellow Republican and 3rd District incumbentJeff Landry ofNew Iberia. Although the district retained Landry's district number, it was geographically and demographically more Boustany's district. Indeed, the new 3rd contained almost two-thirds of Boustany's former territory, while Landry retained only the western third of his former district. Landry led Boustany in third-quarter 2011 fundraising, $251,000 to $218,000. According toFederal Election Commission, Boustany led in cash-on-hand lead, $1.1 million – $402,000.[14] In addition to Boustany and Landry, a third Republican, state RepresentativeChris Leopold ofPlaquemines Parish, announced viaFacebook his candidacy for the seat,[15] but he never filed the paperwork.
The Boustany-Landry race attracted most of the political attention in Louisiana in 2012, as it was seen as pitting an establishment Republican against a candidate identifying with theTea Party. Though most politicians shunned involvement in the heated race,Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and ForestryMichael G. Strain endorsed Boustany, whom he described as particularly helpful to the agricultural sector while serving as a U.S. representative. Landry, meanwhile, carried the backing of most of the Republican parish executive committees in the district.[16] Landry also was endorsed byPhyllis Schlafly'sEagle Forum political action committee.[17]
In the November 6 election, technically a nonpartisan blanket primary for Congress, Boustany led Landry by 45,596 votes. In a five-candidate field, Boustany received 139,123 votes (45 percent); Landry received 93,527 votes (30 percent). Democrat Ron Richard procured the critical 67,070 votes (22 percent). The remaining 7,908 votes (2 percent) and 3,765 ballots (1 percent) were cast, respectively, for Republican Bryan Barrilleaux and the Libertarian Jim Stark. Because no candidate received a majority, Boustany and Landry met in a runoff contest held on December 8.[18]
Boustany won the runoff election against Landry with 58,820 votes (61 percent). He had large margins in seven of the ten parishes in the district, particularly inAcadia,Calcasieu, andLafayette but lost the three parishes that Landry represents,St. Martin,Iberia, andSt. Mary.[19]
Boustany presented the Republican response toPresident Barack H. Obama's joint address to Congress on Wednesday September 9, 2009. He was the sponsor of H.R. 1173, the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011. The bill would repeal title VIII of thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act which established a voluntary long-term care insurance program. It passed the house 267–159 on February 1, 2012[20] but was never passed by the Senate.
In 2013, Boustany was a sponsor of theUnited States farm bill, which was rejected 234–195 in votes, with sixty-two Republicans voting against.[21]
Boustany ran for the open U.S. Senate seat held by retiring RepublicanDavid Vitter, and on election day he received 15.4 percent of the vote at third place, not enough to advance to the run-off.
Boustany's wife Bridget Edwards is a daughter of the late Acadia Parish assistant district attorney Nolan Edwards (1930–1983) ofCrowley and Eleanor Merrill ofLongboat Key, Florida. Nolan Edwards was shot to death in his law office by a disgruntled client.[22][23] Bridget Boustany is hence a paternal niece of Democratic formerGovernorEdwin Washington Edwards.[24]
The Boustanys have two children, Erik and Ashley. His cousin, Jerry Ramsey, and her husband Bo were among those wounded in the2015 Lafayette shooting, in which two people were killed and nine others injured.[25]
In 1995, Boustany filed a lawsuit in Louisiana's 15th Judicial District against two men in Britain for defrauding him in a $50,000 investment and in the $18,500 purchase of atitle after they failed to deliver a purchased British Lordship.[26]
He is anEpiscopalian.[27]
"Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8?", a book investigating the 2005-2008murders of eight sex workers inJefferson Davis Parish, was released in September 2016.[28] Using anonymous sources, author Ethan Brown alleged that Boustany patronized three of the eight victims at a motel owned by a Boustany field staffer, Martin Guillory.[29][30]Murder in the Bayou was released while Boustany was running for U.S. Senate, and the story attracted widespread attention and drew comment from other candidates in the race. His wife claimed that the allegations were designed to damage his senate run, while Boustany himself criticized frontrunnerJohn N. Kennedy for "fanning" the story.[31] Boustany sued Brown and the publisher ofMurder in the Bayou,Simon & Schuster, for defamation in October 2016. He dropped the lawsuit that December, after Kennedy was elected Senator.[32]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's 7th congressional district 2005–2013 | Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's 3rd congressional district 2013–2017 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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