Rep. Ritchie, Harold L. (D)
District# 75, Bogalusa

• District # 75: House District 1
• Party: Democrat
• Caucus Membership: Louisiana Rural Caucus, Chairman
  Democratic Caucus
• Occupation: Funeral Director
• Education: Bogalusa High School (1967); Louisiana Tech; Mississippi College; Graduate of Commonwealth College (1971)
  
• Spouse: Patsy
• Year Elected: 2003
• Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2016
• 2007 Election
  Ritchie begins his second term after facing no opposition back home in the district.
  But in 2003, he had to best history to claim the seat and beat a handful of opponents, including Benny Rayburn, longtime sheriff and son of Louisiana political legend “Sixty” Rayburn. In the runoff, Ritchie earned nearly 40 percent of the vote in Franklinton, which is virtually unheard of for a Bogalusa candidate.
  On the horizon, look for this “Blue Dog” conservative Democrat to be a rising star in the Rural Caucus, which balances the interests of small town business owners and the needs of local residents whom they employ.
  
  

• Louisiana Map
• District Map
• Metro Map
• Economic: District 75 includes most of Washington Parish and a small portion of St. Tammany around the community of Sun. The major industry in the district, as it has been for years, is timber. Hundreds of local residents are employed at the huge Temple Inland Corporation mill in Bogalusa, where they produce paper and boxes. To the west around Franklinton, dairy cattle roam on gently rolling terrain.
• Social: Like neighboring District 72, this is a rural area where most residents earn less than the state average salary. There are a number of small farmers in the district and Bogalusa is home to blue-collar workers associated with paper manufacturing.
• Political: This area is populist on economic matters, but conservative on social issues. Bobby Jindal and George W. Bush dominated this district in their most recent races.

• Bogalusa funeral home owner Harold Ritchie, a Democrat, made a huge name for himself during his first term by sponsoring legislation to criminalize the sport of cockfighting. He was a gentle spokesperson for both sides of the debate and used his country wit to get his point across. At the time in 2007, Louisiana was the last remaining state in the nation allowing the bloody game, and Ritchie made headlines around the country for his efforts.
• As a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Ritchie will have a hand in addressing in the state’s fledgling revenue stream, especially in the 2011 regular session when lawmakers can file tax bills. Local issues, however, often dominate his agenda, like his recent push to create new fees to support the City court of Bogalusa.
• He is a pro-business legislator who has come out swinging with tax programs for small business and development initiatives for the industrial sector. In fact, Ritchie notes that he wants to use his position to significantly improve economic development and transportation in his district.
  He intensively worked on these areas when he served as an at-large member on the Bogalusa City Council.