Jean-Paul Coussan
| Jean Paul Philip "Jean-Paul" Coussan | |
 | |
Louisiana State Senator for District 23 (Lafayette Parish)
| |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Page Cortez |
|---|---|
Louisiana State Representative for District 45 (Lafayette Parish)
| |
| In office January 2016 – January 8, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Joel Robideaux |
| Succeeded by | Brach Myers |
| Born | August 31, 1978 Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jennifer Joy Coussan |
| Alma mater | St. Thomas More High School Louisiana State University LSU Law Center |
Jean Paul Philip Coussan, known as Jean-Paul Coussan (born August 31, 1978), is a lawyer and title company executive from Lafayette, Louisiana, who is the unopposed incoming District 23 member of the Louisiana State Senate. On January 8, 2024, he assumes the Senate seat vacated by the term-limited Page Cortez, the outgoing Senate President. Coussan is the departing District 45 member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.
Contents
Background
Coussan's paternal grandfather, G. Louis Coussan, was a professor and dean of education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His grandmother, Mary B. Coussan, was a public school teacher. His father, Dr. George Coussan, a radiologist, quarterbacked the ULL Ragin' Cajuns, when the team played in the 1970 Grantland Rice Bowl in Baton Rouge. His mother, the former Jo Ellen Becnel, is a real estate broker for Van Eaton & Romero in Lafayette. Coussan and his wife, Jennifer Joy, have three children, George, Claire and Caroline. They attend Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Lafayette.[1]
Coussan graduated from the Catholic-affiliated St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette and then Louisiana State University and the LSU Law Center, both in Baton Rouge.[1]
Coussan is a partner at Andrus Boudreaux Complete Title and the co-founder of Cougar Construction in Lafayette. He was formerly affiliated with Ottinger Hebert, LLC, which specializes in oil and natural gas matters. He previously served on the commission overseeing the Lafayette Cajundome. His other affiliations include the Chamber of Commerce, the Acadian Homebuilders Association, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the Boy Scouts of America.[1]
Political career
Coussan, a Moderate Republican, entered the state legislature on January 11, 2016, after having defeated fellow Republican Andre' Comeaux in the November 21 runoff election to select Robideaux's successor. He polled 5,765 votes (51.2 percent) Comeaux, 5,505 (48.8 percent).[2] Coussan succeeded Joel Craig Robideaux, who instead ran successfully for the Lafayette Parish presidency.[3]
Coussan won a second legislative term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 12, 2019. With 8,583 votes (73 percent), he defeated a Democrat, Rhonda Kim Gleason, who finished with 3,180 votes (27 percent).[4]
Coussan joins Democrats in choosing House Speaker, 2020
On January 13, 2020, Coussan was among twenty-three Republican lawmakers, known as the Fraud Squad, who voted for the Moderate Republican Clay Schexnayder of Ascension Parish, whose election as Speaker depended heavily on the votes of thirty-five legislative Democrats, two Independents, and the Republican defectors. Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, inaugurated for a second term, also made contacts in support of Schexnayder.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 About Jean-Paul. coussan.com. Retrieved on March 28, 2016.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, General Election Returns, November 21, 2015.
- ↑ Results for Election Date: 10/24/2015. Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved on October 25, 2015.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 12, 2019.
- ↑ The Moon Griffon Show, January 23, 2020.
