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'''Raymond James Crews''' (born May 1966) is a former airline pilot from Bossier City in northwestern [[Louisiana]], who is the District 8 [[Republican Party|Republican]] member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Bossier Parish. He has sixty Republican colleagues in the GOP-majority state House.

'''Raymond James Crews''' (born May 1966) is a former airline pilot from Bossier City in northwestern [[Louisiana]], who is the District 8 [[Republican Party|Republican]] member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Bossier Parish. He has sixty Republican colleagues in the GOP-majority state House.

Crews won a special runoff election held on April 29, 2017, to choose the successor to U.S. James Michael "Mike" Johnson, who after less than two years in the state legislature was elected in 2016 to fill Louisiana's 4th congressional district  vacated by [[John Fleming]], an unsuccessful candidate for the [[United States Senate]]. Crews defeated fellow Republican Robert Hal "Robbie" Gatti, Jr. (born March 1970), the brother of Louisiana state Senator [[Ryan Gatti]], a Bossier City lawyer who is a confidant of [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Governor John Bel Edwards. In a 21 percent turnout of fewer than 6,000 voters of a qualified electorate of nearly 29,000, Crews polled 3,845 votes (64 percent) to Gatti's 2,150 (36 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical |title=Election Results|date=April 29, 2017|publisher= Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=May 2, 2017}}</ref>

Crews won a special runoff election held on April 29, 2017, to choose the successor to U.S. James Michael "Mike" Johnson, who after less than two years in the state legislature was elected in 2016 to fill Louisiana's 4th congressional district  vacated by [[John Fleming]], an unsuccessful candidate for the [[United States Senate]]. Crews defeated fellow Republican Robert Hal "Robbie" Gatti, Jr. (born March 1970), the brother of Louisiana state Senator [[Ryan Gatti]], a Bossier City lawyer who is a confidant of [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Governor [[John Bel Edwards]]. In a 21 percent turnout of fewer than 6,000 voters of a qualified electorate of nearly 29,000, Crews polled 3,845 votes (64 percent) to Gatti's 2,150 (36 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical |title=Election Results|date=April 29, 2017|publisher= Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=May 2, 2017}}</ref>

A 17-year veteran of the [[United States Air Force]], Crews said that his victory is proof that district voters want a "true conservative" in the mold of Mike Johnson, who endorsed Crews as his state House successor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2017/04/29/crews-wins-district-8-house-race/101083150/|title=Crews wins District 8 House race|publisher=''The Shreveport Times'' |author= Barbara Leader |date= April 30, 2017 |accessdate= May 1, 2017}}</ref>  

A 17-year veteran of the [[United States Air Force]], Crews said that his victory is proof that district voters want a "true conservative" in the mold of Mike Johnson, who endorsed Crews as his state House successor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2017/04/29/crews-wins-district-8-house-race/101083150/|title=Crews wins District 8 House race|publisher=''The Shreveport Times'' |author= Barbara Leader |date= April 30, 2017 |accessdate= May 1, 2017}}</ref>