Pepper Bowen Roussel
Pepper Bowen Roussel (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Louisiana House of Representatives to represent District 91. Roussel lost in the primary on October 12, 2019.
Roussel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Roussel received a bachelor's degree from Tulane University in 2000, a graduate degree from Regis University, and a J.D. from Loyola University College of Law in 2016. Her professional experience includes working as an attorney.[1]
Elections
2019
See also: Louisiana House of Representatives 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.
General election
General election for Louisiana House of Representatives District 91
Mandie Landry defeated Robert McKnight in the general election for Louisiana House of Representatives District 91 on November 16, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mandie Landry (D) | 52.9 | 7,878 |
| Robert McKnight (D) | 47.1 | 7,025 | ||
| Total votes: 14,903 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 91
Robert McKnight and Mandie Landry defeated Carling Dinkler and Pepper Bowen Roussel in the primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 91 on October 12, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Robert McKnight (D) | 30.0 | 3,398 | |
| ✔ | | Mandie Landry (D) | 29.9 | 3,380 |
 | Carling Dinkler (D) | 27.4 | 3,101 | |
 | Pepper Bowen Roussel (D) | 12.8 | 1,444 | |
| Total votes: 11,323 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Perry III (D)
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Pepper Bowen Roussel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Roussel's responses.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Redistricting Environmental and food justice Agricultural economic development
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I admire many historical figures of both genders, many races, colors, creeds, and religions. Understanding they were flawed humans, I take the best of them and try to apply their lessons to my life.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
No
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Humility. Elected officials need to humble themselves and understand they don' tknow everything. By accepting that the best formal education does not mean officials know what is best for their constituents, they can better represent the community they serve.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Represent the people of the District and not private interests.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I remember the gas rations in Southern California when I was 6 or 7 years old. The lines to the pumps were super long and gas purchase was limited. Certain license plates were permitted to purchase gas on certain days.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I was an aerobics instructor and personal trainer at a health club for 2 years or so.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
Sure
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Climate change and structural racism.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
Collegial
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes. A Representative is one of many votes. The only way to get anything done is through relationships.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Natural Resources and Environment Agriculture Special committee on Redistricting
If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?
N/A
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?
Maybe
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
No
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
Yes TBD.
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?
A single mom who gets no support from her children's father has mounting fines and fees on her license that are cost prohibitive to correct now. She supports herself and two kids on $10.50/hour so it is not surprising that her insurance lapsed. Because she had not insurance, her license was flagged. When she didn't pay the fines immediately, she was subject to penalities. Those penalities have led to a bench warrant and her being terrified to drive her car that she wants to 'make legal' but cannot afford. We need to do better by our people.
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.
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection form on September 30, 2019
