Tony Ligi

Anthony V. "Tony" Ligi, Jr.​
Louisiana State Representative for District 79 (Jefferson Parish)​
In office January 14, 2008​ – January 1, 2013​
Preceded by	Danny Martiny​
Succeeded by	Julie Stokes​
Chairman of the Louisiana Republican Legislative Delegation​
In office 2011​ – 2012​
Preceded by	Jane H. Smith​
Succeeded by	Lance Harris​
Born	August 7, 1955​ ​Place of birth missing
Nationality	Italian American​
Political party	Republican​
Spouse(s)	Diane Corte Ligi
Children	Jonathan, Elizabeth, and Jacqueline Ligi
Residence	Metairie, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana​
Alma mater	Mansfield University of Pennsylvania​
Occupation	Attorney Businessman​

Anthony V. Ligi, Jr., known as Tony Ligi (born August 7, 1955), is an attorney and real estate title insurance agent from Metairie in suburban Jefferson Parish, outside New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a Republican former state representative for House District 79, located on the populous south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

He resigned as representative, effective January 1, 2013, to become director of the Jefferson Business Council.​

​ Ligi holds the Bachelor of Arts in political science from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the Roman Catholic-affiliated Loyola University New Orleans School of Law.^[1]

​ ​In 2007, Ligi was elected to the state House to succeed the term-limited Republican, Danny Martiny (born 1951), who in turn was elected as a state senator to succeed another term-limited Republican, Art Lentini. Ligi led four other Republicans in the nonpartisan blanket primary with 5,474 votes (42 percent). He was to have been placed in a runoff contest with George L. Branigan, who trailed in the primary with 2,946 votes (22.6 percent). In third place was Jack Rizzuto, with 2,708 votes (20.8 percent). Two other candidates shared the remaining 15 percent of the ballots cast.^[2]

A week after the primary, Branigan withdrew from a second contest, and Ligi won the post by default. Ligi carried the support of Republican then U.S. Senator David Vitter and the business interest group, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. The New Orleans Times-Picayune supported Ligi on grounds of his active political and civic leadership. He is a former chairman of the Jefferson Parish Republican Party and a co-founder of the Pelican State Pachyderm Club. Before running in the heavily Republican District 79, Ligi was also active in the Elmwood Park Civic Association.^[3]

Representative Ligi served on these House committees: (1) Appropriations, (2) Budget, (3) House and Governmental Affairs, (4) Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs, and (5) Subcommittee on General Government.^[1] In addition to Metairie, District 79 includes the city of Kenner.

Ligi was reelected to a second term in the Louisiana House in the primary held on October 22, 2011.^[4] Ligi resigned in 2012 to assume the directorship of of the Jefferson Business Council.​

Ligi served as the chairman of the Republican Legislative Delegation from 2011 until 2012, making him the majority leader since Republicans held a majority in the body at that time.He was succeeded as majority leader by Republican Representative Lance Harris from Alexandria​, who is running in 2020 in the 5th congressional district in a bid to succeed Ralph Abraham, who declined to seek a fourth term, honoring a previous pledge to restrict his tenure to three terms.

Ligi's House successor was fellow Republican Julie Stokes, a Kenner accountant, who received 55 percent of the vote in the special election held on March 2, 2013, for the nearly three years remaining in Ligi's term. Stokes defeated three other Republicans for the seat. Jack Rizzuto, a candidate defeated by Ligi in 2007, finished second in the 2013 contest with 33 percent of the ballots cast. No Democrats contested the position.^[5] ​Stokes did not seek a third term in the House in the primary held on October 12, 2019, and the Republican Debbie Villio won the seat without opposition.​

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