Sen. John Smith(D)
District# 30,

• District # 30: House District 0
• Party: Democrat
• Caucus Membership: --
• Occupation: Self-Employed
• Education: Leesville High School; Louisiana State University; B.S. & M.B.A, Loyola University
• Spouse: Pamela
• Year Elected: 2008
• Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
• 2007 Election
  Three Democrats qualified to replace term-limited Sen. Cain: Smith, former state Representative and U.S. Congressman Claude “Buddy” Leach Jr. and Terry Fowler who ran as “the Outsider.” Smith defeated Leach in the runoff.
  

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• Economic: District 30 is comprised of the central area of Vernon Parish, which includes Leesville, extending to the northern tip of Beauregard Parish, including DeRidder. It is a predominantly rural district. Its economic force comes from Fort Polk. The federal government’s decision to downsize the base yielded a severe blow to the area’s economy. Although soldiers are still present, they are fewer in number than in the past. This caused a negative effect on civilian jobs, including real estate and retail trade. Vernon parish lost more than 10,000 people from the 1990 to the 1999 census.
• The timber industry remains the district’s second largest economic force. Residents work as loggers and hold blue-collar jobs in one of the area timber mills, including Boise Southern. Developments around the Toledo Bend Reservoir are boosting tourism and Byrd Hospital in Leesville offers a spectrum of jobs, including professional and blue-collar.
• Social: The district is populated with middle and working-class residents. The Protestant churches, including many with Fundamentalist beliefs, are a major influence. The small black population is mostly concentrated to a few neighborhoods in Leesville and New Llano.
• Political: The district was once a hotbed of populist activity with a strong union influence among workers in the timber industry. This trend has waned in recent years. Republicans and Democrats have been split evenly in elections. This district is anti-gambling and in 1998 voted against local option elections.

• John Smith, term-limited in the House, replaces term-limited Sen. James David Cain. A retired businessman from Leesville, Smith is a former Chamber of Commerce President and served for four years on the Vernon Police Jury. His son-in-law is Congressman Chris John, a Democrat from Crowley. Smith has established a strong record as a fiscal conservative, championing budgetary reforms and investing surplus funds in reducing the state’s debt.
• As a member of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, he will play a key role in the upcoming redistricting process. The seat will also allow him to continue leading ethics-related bills through the Upper Chamber. He works to straighten the reputation of elected officials and the state in general, noting that in order for investors to consider Louisiana, changes must be made.
• Elsewhere, on the Senate Finance Committee, he’s developed a reputation as a fiscal hawk and was recently recognized as Public Official of the Year by the Association of Social Workers. Smith isn’t shy about faith-based issues; he helped promote "Christian Heritage Week in Louisiana" in 2009.
• Smith has been a strong supporter of small business and a major supporter of tort reform. He had a 43% rating from LABI in 2003. The main thrust of his involvement in the Senate will be to promote higher education, in hopes to improve the national education status.