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District Office
Legislative Assistant : Karen Gothreaux
Email Danahay, Michael E.
Phone: (337)527-5581
Fax: (337)527-5503
Address: 1625 Beglis Pkwy.
Sulphur, LA 70663
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: (225) 342-6945
Capitol House Fax: (225)342-8336
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- District #: House District 1
- Party: Democrat
- Caucus Membership: Acadiana Delegation, Democratic Caucus, Louisiana Rural Caucus
- Occupation: Sales representative - Lake Charles Office Supply
- Education: Sulphur High School, McNeese State University, B.S. Business Administration
- Spouse: Daphne
- Year Elected: 2007
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
- 2007 Election
Michael Danahay, two-term Calcasieu Parish police juror, claimed the House District 33 seat without opposition in the 2007 primary. It is the second consecutive time the seat has gone uncontested. Term-limited incumbent Ronald S. Johns won re-election his final term in 2003 without a challenger.
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Registered Voters by Parish: Beauregard 1.8%, Calcasieu 98.2%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: DeQuincy, Carlyss, Sulphur, Vinton,
Westlake
- Louisiana Map
- District Map
- Metro Map
This is rice-farming and cattle-ranching country. The economy is also largely influenced by the petrochemical industry, which has seen boom times in recent years. Blue-collar workers are employed in highly-paid jobs in the chemical plants. The chemical companies also provide scores of middle- and lower-management jobs.
Gaming has become a large factor in the district’s economy, Riverboats in Lake Charles, just to the east of District 33, have a major impact on the district’s finances, from new jobs to tax money flowing into the coffers of local governments. Its impact on Delta Downs, one of the state’s horseracing tracks, has led to the addition of slot machines to the entertainment.
Social: The district is a mix of Anglo-Protestants and French Catholics. Residents are working-class to middle-class earning wages that ten to be on the high side, particularly for experienced workers at the petrochemical plants. Few blacks live in the district.
Political: Historically, this district has been a stronghold for organized labor. Union influence began fading n the 1980s, when layoffs hit the plants. The remaining union workers are well paid and growing more conservative. Taxes concern them more than traditional union issues. Recent election results show the growing strength of Republican candidates such as Bobby Jindal and Suzanne Haik Terrell.
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- An endorsement from the Republican Johns may have played a part in securing the seat for Michael Danahay, a Democrat, who said after his election he planned to continue many of Johns’ efforts, including insurance reform and economic development in southwestern Louisiana.
- Danahay, a lifelong resident of Sulphur, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1981 from McNeese State University in Lake Charles. Since 1984, he has worked as a sales representative in the office supply industry.
- As a member of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, he’ll play major role in the upcoming redistricting process. But Danahay has a wide variety of interest as a policymaker. In 2010, he’ll be pushing greater accountability in the private detection field by proposing greater fines for related violations.
- Danahay plans to continue his pro-business philosophy as a state representative. He also characterized ethics reform, education and infrastructure as essential to economic development in the state.
- Danahay said it was the traditionally strong ties between business and government that enable southwest Louisiana to recover quickly from Hurricane Rita, which decimated much of the region in 2005. When the storm inundated the region, Danahay was in his second term as a Calcasieu Parish police juror. At the time of his election to the House, he was serving as the jury president.
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