James K. Armes
| James Kimbrell Armes, III | |
 | |
| In office January 2008 – January 13, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | John R. Smith |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Chuck Owen |
| Born | April 5, 1951 Place of birth missing |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Divorced from Anne Leonora Tucker Armes, since Anne Chapman (2) Carolyn Armes |
| Children | From first marriage: James Kimbrell "Beau" Armes, IV |
| Residence | Leesville, Vernon Parish, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | McNeese State University (Lake Charles) |
| Occupation | Businessman (Landscape contractor) |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
James Kimbrell Armes, III (born April 5, 1951), is a landscape contractor from Leesville in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, who is a Democratic former state representative for House District 30 in Beauregard and Vernon parishes in the western portion of his state. First elected in 2007, he ran for his third and final term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 2015.[1][2]
Background
Armes is the son of James K. "Jake" Armes, Jr. (1916-1992),[3] and Verna Louise Armes (1920-1971).[4]
He graduated in 1974 with a degree in Botany and Horticulture from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He owns Greenhaven Nursery & Landscaping.[5] He has formerly resided in Baton Rouge, Alexandria in Rapides Parish, Pine Prairie in Evangeline Parish, Reston, Virginia, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, dates unavailable.[6]
Armes and his former wife, Anne Leonora Tucker Armes, since Anne Chapman, the wife of Perry Chapman, have three children, James Kimbrell "Beau" Armes, IV, Kristen Lea Armes, and Jeffrey Kemp Armes (born March 1986).[7] The name of Armes's current wife is unavailable.
Political career
According to his Facebook page, Armes has previously served on the Vernon Parish School Board, the Leesville City Council (at-large seat), and the Vernon Parish Police Jury, the equivalent to the county commission in other states.[8][9]
Armes won the District 30 House seat vacated by the Democrat (and later Republican) John R. Smith of Leesville, who was instead elected as state senator in District 30, also the number of the House seat. In the primary held on October 20, 2007, Armes, with 3,971 votes (48.5 percent), led two Republican candidates, Jackie M. "Jack" Causey (born June 1950) and Overton Brown Burns, Jr. (born c. 1955), both of Leesville. Causey polled 3,122 votes (38.2 percent), and Burns trailed with 1,091 (13.3 percent), respectively. Together Causey and Burns had a primary majority.[10] In the lower-turnout general election on November 17, Armes prevailed over Causey, 3,124 votes (52.45 percent) to 2,832 (47.55 percent).[11]
Armes won his second term by a more comfortable margin in the primary election held on October 22, 2011, when he defeated Causey once again and still another Republican, physician Gregory Lord (born August 1954) of Leesville. Armes polled 3,874 votes (54.5 percent) to Lord's 1,995 (28.1 percent) and Causey's 1,238 (17.4 percent).[12]
Representative Armes served on the Louisiana Rural Caucus and the Democratic Caucus. He serves on these committee: (1) Appropriations, (2) Natural Resources and Environment, (3) Joint Legislative Budget, and (4) Military and Veterans Affairs.[1]
Armes's legislative ratings ranged from 24 to 67 percent from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. In 2012, he was rated 57 percent by the National Federation of Independent Business. From 2012 to 2014, the conservative Louisiana Family Forum scored him 43 percent, 86 percent and 70 percent, respectively. Since 2008, he has been rated all but one year as 100 percent by Louisiana Right to Life.[13]
In 2014, Armes co-sponsored the requirement that abortion providers have hospital admitting privileges near their clinics, but he did not vote on final passage of the bill, which was approved, 88-5. He voted in 2013 for surrogacy contracts. In 2014, he did not vote on the extension of the time for implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. In 2013, Armes voted to reduce penalties for the possession of marijuana and opposed lifetime concealed carry gun permits. However, he supported concealed carry in restaurants which serve alcoholic beverages and opposed making information about permit holders a matter of public record. In 2012, he voted to prohibit the use of telephones while driving. He voted to reduce the number of hours that polling locations remain open. He opposed the requirement for drug testing of welfare recipients.[13]
In the primary election held on October 12, 2019, Armes was defeated in a bid for Senate District 30. Victory went to the Republican Mike Reese..
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 James K. Armes, III. Louisiana House of Representatives. Retrieved on August 12, 2020.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 24, 2015}}
- ↑ James Kimbrell Armes. findagrave.com. Retrieved on August 12, 2020.
- ↑ Verna Louise Armes. findagrave.com. Retrieved on August 12, 2020.
- ↑ James Armes, III's Biography. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on August 12, 2020.
- ↑ James Kimbrell Armes. intelius.com. Retrieved on August 12, 2020.
- ↑ Obituary of Joy Lea Davis Tucker (former mother-in-law of James Armes, III), The Leesville Daily Leader, February 13, 2013.
- ↑ James K. Armes, III. Facebook. Retrieved on April 20, 2015; account no longer on-line.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, September 20, 2006.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20, 2007.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 17, 2007.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 22, 2011.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 James K. Armes, III's Political Summary. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on August 12, 2020.
