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Barry Milligan
Barry Milligan (Republican Party) was a member of the Louisiana State Senate, representing District 38. He assumed office on January 13, 2020. He left office on January 8, 2024.
Milligan (Republican Party) won election to the Louisiana State Senate to represent District 38 outright in the primary on October 12, 2019, after the general election was canceled.
Milligan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Milligan was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee
- Finance Committee
- Local & Municipal Affairs Committee
- Senate & Governmental Affairs Committee, Vice Chairman
- Joint Legislative Budget Committee
- Technology and Cybersecurity Committee
2021-2022
Milligan was assigned to the following committees:
- Finance Committee
- Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee
- Local & Municipal Affairs Committee
- Revenue & Fiscal Affairs Committee
- Senate & Governmental Affairs Committee, Vice chair
- Joint Capital Outlay Committee
- Technology and Cybersecurity Committee
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2023
- See also: Louisiana State Senate elections, 2023
Barry Milligan did not file to run for re-election.
2019
See also: Louisiana State Senate elections, 2019
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana State Senate District 38
Barry Milligan won election outright against incumbent John Milkovich and Katrina Early in the primary for Louisiana State Senate District 38 on October 12, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Barry Milligan (R)  | 50.7 | 16,266 |
 | John Milkovich (D) | 26.3 | 8,447 | |
 | Katrina Early (D) | 22.9 | 7,359 | |
| Total votes: 32,072 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Barry Milligan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Milligan's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1) Business and job growth 2) Reduce tax and insurance expense to our residents and businesses 3) Infrastructure repair
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Education is near and dear to me. Most of my family are teachers and have always been. Education is key to a happy and successful life. Education, only second to faith is the foundation of society and must be advanced and protected.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I look up to my father. He has worked hard all of his life to provide for his family, help his fellow man, serve his community, and strive to always be positive even in the darkest of times.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
My political philosophy is rooted in service above self and therefore the Bible would be the best resource for understanding why i want to serve and how I plan to serve.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Service above self!
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I am honest, faithful and loyal. I do not believe in titles or levels in society that would separate us in any way from our fellow citizen. Finally I am a team player and believe we are all meant to work together for the greater good of all people.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
We are responsible to the people who elected us! We represent them each and every day. We are also responsible to God in how we conduct ourselves daily. We answer to both!
What legacy would you like to leave?
I am a life long resident of Louisiana. If I leave the state better for all families than how I found it, I will have left a legacy.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The first historical event I remember is probably the Iran Hostage Crisis at the end of President Jimmy Carter's term in office. I was greatly bothered by the fact that our citizens were held hostage for a year and remember having a candle light prayer vigil for them during Christmas. I was probably 8.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I worked as a lifeguard during high school but my first real job was as a coin counter in a bank vault when i was 19. I served in banking for 29 years!
What happened on your most awkward date?
Was set up on a blind date by my mother. 25 Years later we are still married.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Christmas. The holiday is a huge celebration of Christ's birth but for a brief period of time each year, the holiday allows me to feel like a kid again through the lives of my children.
What is your favorite book? Why?
The bible. It's a perfect manual for life, a history book that is prophetic, and no matter where you open the book to, there will be a passage that jumps out at you that correctly addressed the need or worry that is on your mind.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Superman. Always saving lives!
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My chair! It is a place of comfort and relaxation from which I can be involved in everything going on!
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
"Just the way you are" by Billy Joel. Always singing it!
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
The only struggle I have is watching others struggle and being helpless to resolve the situation.
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
Both chambers have great people dedicated to driving the state of Louisiana forward but I believe it is how the committees in both chambers are created, seated and managed as to how well they work together to pass legislation.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
I do not believe prior public service at a lower level is a must but having some basic knowledge of state governance is. Once elected there are an abundance of experienced legislators at your disposal but having an understanding of how state government works is very beneficial.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
There are many! Louisiana must work to become a business friendly state, reduce the tax and insurance burden on all citizens and businesses, reform legal and insurance policies, find and spend money for major, crucial infrastructure repairs, revamp workforce development to be prepared to meet the needs of business and industry, stop the litigious attacks on oil
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
A conservative governor who works well with a conservative legislative body.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes indeed! It takes a team in government! A team of people from both chambers, from all parties who can agree to disagree and work together to find compromise in order to move the state forward.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
We must have a committee of independent people who represent all people to develop a fair redistricting plan.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Education, Finance and Revenue
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
Eventually I would like to be chairman of a committee or two.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
US Congressman Mike Johnson (former LA state rep)
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
No. I have no political ambitions beyond service in the state legislature.
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
I had a business owner I know who absolutely love Louisiana break down in tears because he was forced to move a division of his company to Texas in order to get trainable employees for his company. He said he felt like a traitor.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Louisiana scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023
In 2023, the Louisiana State Legislature was in session from April 10 to June 8.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to abortion.
2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Louisiana State Legislature was in session from March 14 to June 6.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Louisiana State Legislature was in session from April 12 to June 10.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Louisiana State Legislature was in session from March 9 to June 1. The session was suspended from March 31 through May 4. A special session convened from June 1 to June 30 and from September 28 to October 23.
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See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Milkovich (D) |
Louisiana State Senate District 38 2020-2024 |
Succeeded by Thomas Pressly (R) |
