Sen. Eric Lafleur (D)
District# 28,

• District # 28: House District 0
• Party: Democrat
• Caucus Membership: --
• Occupation: Partner, Vidrine and LaFleur
• Education: Sacred Heart High School; B.A., Louisiana State University; J.D., Tulane School of Law
• Spouse: Julie
• Year Elected: 2008
• Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
• 2007 Election
  The race to replace Hines drew two political veterans and a fresh face. Lafleur faced opposition from seven-term Avoyelles Parish Sheriff William “Bill” Belt and Donald Newton, Hines’ 23-year-old grandson who had never held public office. Lafleur barely missed winning the race in the October primary, but went on to defeat Newton handily in the November runoff.
  
  

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• District 28 covers a wide expanse, including all of Allen and Evangeline parishes and portions of southern Avoyelles and eastern St. Landry. Agriculture is the district’s main economic engine, with many residents working in the farming and timber industries. The district contains to Indian casinos at Marksville and Kinder, which together employ about 4,500 people. The casinos bring in large numbers of weekend tourists, as do Cajun cultural attractions in Eunice and Mamou. Prisons are also a significant source of jobs. State prisons are located in Allen and Avoyelles and a federal detention center is in Oakdale.
• Social: District 28 is where north meets south and the region is an amalgam of north Louisiana conservatism and south Louisiana joie de vivre. Socially, however, these two distinct groups are quite similar – a strong devotion to family, an agricultural economy, strong working class ethics and conservative views on many social issues.
• Political: Overwhelmingly Democratic, the district is loyal to its political roots. Republicans can find success here, however, as demonstrated in support for George W. Bush and former Gov. Mike Foster. Incoming Gov. Bobby Jindal also ran strong here.

• State Rep. Eric Lafleur took advantage of the term limits that forced Senate President Don Hines into retirement and claimed the Senate District 28 seat in the 2007 elections. Lafleur, a Ville Platte attorney, was eligible for a third term in the House, where he had built significant clout on the appropriations, criminal justice and agriculture committees.
• Previously the leader of the House Democrats, LaFleur remains a strong voice in the Senate for his party. But he’s just as responsive to key industries in Acadiana. For example, in 2009, he pushed a resolution urging Congress to refrain from reducing or repealing tax incentives for the domestic production of oil and gas. He’s also taken an interest in drunk-driving legislation and recently pushed a bill that would have required the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to establish and maintain an impaired driver tracking system.
• In the House, Lafleur was known as a fairly independent voter who supported a wide array of legislation that sometimes fell outside the interests of his district, an often political expedient move in the Legislature.
• A native of Ville Platte, in the heart of Cajun Louisiana, Lafleur is a fluent French speaker who champions the expansion and preservation of the Acadian culture through French immersion in public schools and other programs. An avid computer user, he has also championed technology in the state’s classrooms.
• As a Senate newcomer with strong training in the House, expect Lafleur to wield more political clout than the average neophyte. He’ll continue to champion heightened school accountability standards and increased teacher pay. He also favors money for health care that follow patients rather than going to facilities.
• Being the successor to a veteran legislator like Don Hines is never easy, and the “old school” country doctor from Bunkie left a strong legacy for Lafleur to follow.