Damon Baldone

Damon Joseph Baldone​
Louisiana State Representative for District 53 (Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes)
In office 2001–2012
Preceded by	Reggie P. Dupre, Jr.
Succeeded by	Lenar Whitney
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner for the 2nd district (East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana parishes)​
In office June 2017​ – October 2017
Succeeded by	Craig Greene
Born	November 13, 1964 Houma, Terrebonne Parish​
Political party	Democrat-turned-Republican​
Alma mater	Vandebilt Catholic High School (Houma)​ Louisiana State University Southern University School of Law​ (Baton Rouge)
Occupation	Attorney; Real estate broker Extensive business holdings
Religion	Roman Catholic Parents: John and Susie Maronge Baldone

Damon Joseph Baldone (born November 13, 1964) is an attorney and real estate broker in his native Houma, Louisiana, who served from 2001 to 2012 as a Democratic state representative for District 53 in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes.

He later turned Republican and filled a four-month interim term to the Louisiana Public Service Commission in 2017 under appointment from Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards. The vacancy developed when Democrat-turned-Moderate Republican Scott Angelle of St. Martin Parish resigned to join the Donald Trump administration. Baldone ran for the PSC in the 2017 special election but was defeated by Republican Craig Greene, a Baton Rouge physician who still holds the seat.

Background

Baldone is of Italian descent, a son of John James Baldone and the former Anna Lee "Susie" Maronge. He graduated in 1982 from the Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma and received a Bachelor of Science in biology in 1986 from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish. As a graduate student at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, he worked in the genetics lab and taught biology lab. He taught mathematics at Nicholls State University before spending one-year teaching sciences at Henry Ford Junior High School in Avondale in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans. In 1992, he received his Juris Doctorate from the historically black Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge.

A diversified businessman, Baldone owns Bayou Inn Motel and the Dansereau House Bed and Breakfast in Thibodaux. He is an agent and broker with Baldone Real Estate. He owns Baldone Rental Properties, Baldone Oil & Gas, and Baldone Offshore, a boat company. He is the president-director of Baltech, Inc., a pharmaceutical company with seventeen patents worldwide in the area of viral infections. He is the co-owner of Laundry Diva, which serves the hotel industry.

In civic affairs, Baldone he is active in the United Way, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and Relay for Life. He has been a vice president of the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center in Houma. He is a member of the National Rifle Association, the Coastal Conservation Association, Ducks Unlimited, and the National Apartment Association.

Political life

Baldone was narrowly elected to the Louisiana House in a special election in June 2001 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Democrat Reggie P. Dupre, Jr., to the state Senate. He defeated fellow Democrat Johnny Glover, 3,248 votes (51 percent) to 3,138 (49 percent). Baldone was elected to full terms in 2003 and 2007.

Baldone was named the "Outstanding Freshman Legislator" in 2003 and "Legislator of the Year" for his work in 2007 on coastal restoration and hurricane protection. He served on the House Ways and Means Committee and the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. He was a member of the Bayou Lafourche Freshwater Diversion Committee. He was a member of the Council of State Legislatures and the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council. In the legislature, he co-sponsored the bill to direct federal funds from offshore oil royalties to coastal restoration. He worked to strengthen the Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee system. He also supported ethics reform and tax cuts.

In 2011, Baldone did not seek a third full term in the House. His successor was the conservative Republican Lenar Whitney, also of Houma. Whitney in turn was toppled after a single House term in 2015 by the Moderate Republican Tanner Magee, another Houma attorney.

In 2019, Baldone was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for the District 20 seat (Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes) in the state Senate vacated by the term-limited Norby Chabert, another Democrat-turned-Republican. He finished second in a five-candidate field with 5,162 (18 percent). In third place was the departing state Representative Jerry "Truck" Gisclair, who polled 4,070 votes (14 percent). Republican Michael Fesi, won the seat outright in the primary with 15,546 votes (54 percent) and took office on January 13, 2020. The combined Republican vote in District 20 totaled 75 percent of the ballots cast.