Republican Phillipp Bedwell has officially announced his candidacy for the State Representative seat, Louisiana House District 75, which encompasses portions of Washington and St. Tammany parishes. The seat is currently held by Democratic State Rep. Malinda White of Bogalusa.

His announcement was made Wednesday, at the January meeting of the Washington Parish Republican Women’s Club. Bedwell stressed his conservative beliefs, his community roots, and his qualifications for holding the office during his announcement speech.

“The people of District 75 have the opportunity to establish a new and better way for our area — one that returns the power to the individual and reestablishes the independence that this country was founded on,” Bedwell said. “If we do things right, we will get the government out of our lives except when absolutely necessary.”

Bedwell’s roots in District 75 are strong and deep. Both of his parents were raised in this district, where they eventually raised both Bedwell and his siblings. Here, Bedwell attended Terrace Elementary, Bogalusa Junior High, and Bowling Green High School. He then went on to attend and graduate from Southeastern Louisiana University with a degree in law enforcement.

Bedwell then joined the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a lieutenant and captain in the USAF Security Police. After his military service, he went to work at the United States Department of Justice in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. During his 26-year tenure with the Department of Justice, Bedwell served as a correctional officer before being promoted to various positions of leadership within the Department of Human Resources.

“During my law enforcement, military and federal government careers, I have had experience with writing policy statements for local and agency wide applications, interpreting laws and regulations, overseeing labor negotiations with public sector unions, and dealing with high pressure situations such as prison riots,” Bedwell said. “I am uniquely prepared to work with legislators from around the state to eliminate bad policies and craft good ones. My goal will be to create a better community for our people and businesses.”

Within the community, Bedwell has served as both a member of the Republican Party Executive Committee in Washington Parish and as a member of the Republican State Central Committee. In 2018, Bedwell was elected to serve as the Chairman of the Washington Parish Republican Party and was also appointed to the Washington Parish Council. Bedwell is happily married to his wife, Pamela Barlow Bedwell, of 44 years. Together, they have two adult children and six grandchildren.

At the conclusion of Bedwell’s speech, he reiterated that he would be a conservative leader who constantly listens to his constituents.

“I am a huge believer that a representative should be a bigger listener than talker,” he said. “You have heard where I stand on some key issues; but, I want to hear where you stand on the issues important to you. Your opinion matters to me on each and every issue.”

Louisiana House District 75 encompasses Bogalusa, Angie, Franklinton, Sun, Varnado, Isabel, Enon, Stateline, Hackley, Thomas and Pine. The primary election will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12.