Bodi White
| Mack Al "Bodi" White, Jr. | |
Louisiana State Senator for District 6 (East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa parishes)
| |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Julie Quinn |
|---|---|
Louisiana State Representative for District 64 (East Baton Rouge
and Livingston parishes) | |
| In office 2004 – 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Perkins |
| Succeeded by | Valarie Hodges |
| Born | April 7, 1956 East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Robin Wunstel White (married 1982) |
| Children | Kimberly White
Kristen Elizabeth McKnight |
| Alma mater | Southeastern Louisiana University Loyola University New Orleans (graduate studies) |
| Occupation | Businessman Police officer |
| Religion | United Methodist |
Mack Al White, Jr., known as Bodi White (born April 7, 1956), is a Republican state senator from Central City in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. His District 6 includes parts of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa parishes in the southeastern portion of the state.[1]
Background
An East Baton Rouge Parish native, White's father was Mack White, Sr. (1934–1999) of Baker in East Baton Rouge Parish. White holds an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond in Tangipahoa Parish completed graduate work in the same field from Loyola University in New Orleans. White was a detective for the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office for six years and a supervisor at ExxonMobil for seventeen years. He is an agent with Rogillio Real Estate Company in Baton Rouge and owns a small private security company.[2] White and his wife, the former Robin Wunstel, wed in the fall of 1982. They have three children, Kimberly White, Kristen W. McKnight and her husband, Ivan Emmett McKnight, and Mackie White, and a granddaughter. He is a long-term member of the Blackwater United Methodist Church in Zachary in East Baton Rouge Parish. White has been named the Central City "Man of the Year." He assists in providing student scholarships for his alma mater, Southeastern.[2]
Political life
State senator
White won his Senate seat in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011, by having narrowly defeated fellow Republican Mike Mannino, 12,886 votes (51.7 percent) to 12,047 (48.3 percent).[3] Incumbent Senator Republican Julie Quinn of Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans, did not seek reelection.[2] Under redistricting, the revised Senate District 6 has a configuration reaching from Baton Rouge to the Florida Parishes. White describes the district as "sprawling, almost 100 miles long. It is an area of tremendous growth. The Interstate 10 and 12 corridors have added five new representative districts and 1-1/2 new Senate seats as a result of the 2010 census. It's also where we expect the growth to be over the next ten years."[2] White describes the Senate district as "conservative" with "working people [who] believe in family values, and [oppose] tax increases.”[2]
In the primary held on October 12, 2019, White, with 29,531 (80 percent) to 7,596 (20 percent) for the Libertarian Rufus H. Craig. No Democrats sought the seat/[4]
State representative
White was first elected without opposition in 2003 to the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 64 to succeed fellow Republican Tony Perkins, who became the president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian political organization. Thereafter, White defeated two "No Party" opponents in the primary held on October 20, 2007, with nearly 77 percent of the vote.[5] White served on these House committees: Administration of Criminal Justice, Appropriations, Budget, and Judiciary. He also sat on the Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Resources.[1] White holds 100 percent ratings from the Louisiana Right to Life Federation and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. He voted in the 2011 legislative session against the bill to make the Louisiana cigarette tax permanent. Then he voted against the attempt to override then Governor Bobby Jindal's veto of the permanent cigarette tax. He voted against a bill to prohibit hand-held cellular devices while driving.[6] While in the House, White pushed for ethics reform. He wrote a bill to protect government whistleblowers who disclose llegal or unfair activities in their office. He supported full disclosure on lawmakers' financial dealings.[2] White has also pushed for mandatory governmental ethics training for legislative officials.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rep. Mack A. "Bodi" White, Jr.. votesmart.org. Retrieved on July 13, 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Rep. Bodi White Announces Candidacy for State Senate. centrackitynews.us (July 6, 2011). Retrieved on July 13, 2011.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, Octover 22, 2011.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 12, 2019.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20, 2007.
- ↑ Candidate summary. votesmart.org. Retrieved on July 13, 2011.
