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Richard Nelson (Louisiana)
Richard Nelson is an officeholder of the Louisiana Secretary of Revenue.
Nelson (Republican Party) ran for election for Governor of Louisiana. He lost in the primary on October 14, 2023. Nelson unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the primary election ballot on October 14, 2023.
Biography
Nelson received a bachelor's degree in biological engineering from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from Louisiana State University law school.[1] His work experience includes working as a security engineering officer with the U.S. State Department and a principal at The Solutions Group, LLC.[1]
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
Nelson was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Nelson was assigned to the following committees:
- Administration of Criminal Justice Committee
- Civil Law and Procedure Committee
- House Retirement 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 gubernatorial election, 2023
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 Governor of Louisiana
The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of Louisiana on October 14, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jeff Landry (R) | 51.6 | 547,827 |
 | Shawn Wilson (D)  | 25.9 | 275,525 | |
 | Stephen Waguespack (R) | 5.9 | 62,287 | |
 | John Schroder (R) | 5.3 | 56,654 | |
 | Hunter Lundy (Independent) | 4.9 | 52,165 | |
| Daniel Cole (D) | 2.6 | 27,662 | ||
 | Sharon Hewitt (R) | 1.7 | 18,468 | |
 | Benjamin Barnes (Independent) | 0.5 | 5,190 | |
| Patrick Henry Barthel (R) | 0.4 | 4,426 | ||
 | Richard Nelson (R) (Unofficially withdrew) | 0.3 | 3,605 | |
| Jeffery Istre (Independent) | 0.3 | 3,400 | ||
 | Xavier Ellis (R) | 0.2 | 1,734 | |
| Keitron Gagnon (Independent) | 0.1 | 1,260 | ||
 | Xan John (R) | 0.1 | 1,164 | |
 | Frank Scurlock (Independent) | 0.1 | 1,131 | |
| Total votes: 1,062,498 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Oscar Dantzler (D)
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 89
Richard Nelson defeated Vince Liuzza in the general election for Louisiana House of Representatives District 89 on November 16, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Nelson (R) | 53.3 | 8,465 |
| Vince Liuzza (R) | 46.7 | 7,424 | ||
| Total votes: 15,889 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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 89
Vince Liuzza and Richard Nelson defeated Pat Phillips, Erin Feys Powell, and David Ellis in the primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 89 on October 12, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Vince Liuzza (R) | 26.0 | 3,698 | |
| ✔ | | Richard Nelson (R) | 24.6 | 3,503 |
| Pat Phillips (R) | 18.1 | 2,582 | ||
| Erin Feys Powell (D) | 17.1 | 2,431 | ||
 | David Ellis (R) | 14.2 | 2,026 | |
| Total votes: 14,240 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Richard Nelson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Richard Nelson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Nelson's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1) Keeping taxpayer money in local communities to address local issues like roads, schools, and flooding. 2) Reforming the tax code to keep people and companies in our state. 3) Improving Education Opportunities for Louisiana's children.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I am passionate about constitutional reform because I believe that taxpayers should have as much control over how their tax money is spent as possible. Keeping taxpayer money in local communities achieves this goal. I am also passionate about tax reform because so many of my friends have moved out-of-state to pursue better opportunities that exist in states with tax codes that don't tax success. Finally, I am passionate about improving Education Opportunities because I have three children, ages 5, 3, and 1, and I want them to have every opportunity.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I would like to follow the example of George Washington. He was a statesman who always put service to the people above his own political ambitions.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
George Washington's Farewell Address and Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I am an engineer with experience managing multimillion dollar projects all over the world. I am also an attorney with a solid understanding of the law, and served for seven years as a officer and diplomat in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. My experience in the private-sector and in government gives me a unique understanding to craft legislation that will improve the lives of the citizens of Louisiana.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I washed cars and did landscaping throughout high school. I saved the money I earned to help pay my college expenses.
What happened on your most awkward date?
My first car was a 1984 Mercury Grand Marquis Station Wagon with wood paneling. On a first date, I had a radiator hose blow in front of my date's apartment. She had to drive us to dinner, and my roommate had to bring me back the next day to fix the hose right in front of her door.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My family: they are my world.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
1) Enacting Constitutional changes to fix the tax system and the balance between state and local governments 2) Paying down the state's Unfunded Liabilities and bond debt. 3) Combating Coastal Land Loss
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
2023 Elections
External links
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Candidate Governor of Louisiana |
Personal |
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Reid Falconer (R) |
Louisiana House of Representatives District 89 2020-2024 |
Succeeded by Kim Carver (R) |
| Preceded by - |
Louisiana Secretary of Revenue -Present |
Succeeded by - |
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