William Wheat
| William Edward Wheat, Jr. | |
 | |
Louisiana State Senator for District 37
(Livingston, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa parishes) | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Barrow Peacock (district revised) |
|---|---|
Louisiana State Representative
for District 73 (Tangipahoa Parish) | |
| In office January 13, 2020 – January 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Pugh |
| Succeeded by | Kimberly Landry Coates |
| Born | October 24, 1958 Ponchatoula Tangipahoa Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Andrea Hebert Wheat |
| Relations | Dennis Paul Hebert (father-in-law) |
| Alma mater | Ponchatoula High School Louisiana State University |
| Occupation | Veterinarian |
William Edward Wheat, Jr., known as Bill Wheat (born October 24, 1958),[1] is a veterinarian from his native Ponchatoula in Tangipahoa Parish in southeastern Louisiana who is the Republican departing state representative for District 73 and the incoming state senator for District 37.
In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 12, 2019, Wheat handily defeated another Republican, Michael Chatellier (born 1960), a veteran of the Afghanistan War. The two candidates graduated from Ponchatoula High School two years apart. Wheat attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, but was accepted to the School of Veterinary Medicine before he could receive an undergraduate degree. Neither candidate had previous political experience. Wheat has been a practicing veterinarian in Hammond since 1983.[2]
Wheat received 9,332 votes (77 percent) to Chatellier's 2,732 (23 percent).[3] On January 13, 2020, he succeeded the term-limited Republican Representative Stephen Pugh, who was first elected in 2007.
Wheat is a former president of the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association and chaired the Tangipahoa Mosquito Abatement District. He said in the campaign that he has no platform based on issues and narrow definitions, but instead hopes his “sense of achievement” in the community will convince voters to support him. "I’ve been a productive member of our community. I’m a person who has been able to identify the needs of our citizens, work toward resolutions of problems, and come to the table with solutions."[2]
The more conservative Chatellier said that Louisiana seems to have "a government mentality" that "pushes businesses away," instead of encouraging companies to locate in the state.[2]
Switching to the state Senate
Wheat did not seek reelection in the primary held on October 14, 2023. Three Republicans, Michael Chatellier, Kimberly Landry Coates, and Braville J. LeBlanc, sought to succeed him, with victory going to Kimberly Coates. Instead, Wheat polled 61 percent of the votes cast in a race for the District 37 seat in the state Senate to succeed the retiring Barrow Peacock of Shreveport. His senatorial opponents were fellow Republican Randy Bush (26 percent) and Independent Ivan M. Scioneaux, Jr. (13 percent). The boundaries of District 37 were vastly altered and now include Livingston, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa parishes.[4]
References
- ↑ William Wheat. Mylife.com. Retrieved on December 19, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jacqueline DeRobertis (September 13, 2019). Two Tangipahoa political outsiders square off for House District 73 seat. The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved on December 30, 2019.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 12, 2019. .
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 24, 2023.