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Ryan Reid
Ryan Reid (Republican Party) ran for election to the Louisiana House of Representatives to represent District 15. Reid lost in the primary on October 12, 2019.
Reid completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Reid was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He is a Southern Baptist.[1]
Reid attended the Centenary College of Louisiana, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He obtained a B.A., M.A., and M.A.T. He is a certified teacher and completed training in dealing with student homelessness, suicide awareness and prevention, bullying prevention, Louisiana Board of Ethics standards, and more.[1]
Below is a brief outline of Reid's professional experience:
- 2010-present: English teacher, West Monroe High School
- 2012-2014: On-Air disc jockey and radio personality, Media Ministries Station KBMQ
- 2009-2010: English teacher, Fort Necessity Junior High
- 2008-2009: Assistant program manager, Accent Marketing - Monroe
- October-December 2007: Guest teacher, Chungnam Province Office of Education, South Korea
- 2006-2007: Graduate assistant, Northwestern State University of Louisiana
- 2006: Line temp, General Motors Corporation, Shreveport Plant
- 2005-2006: Math, physics, and computer sciences teacher, Plain Dealing Christian Academy
- 2006: Assistant director, Kon Tiki commercials
- 2005: Assistant director, Teraton Perspective, independent film Deliberate
- 2003-2005: Student officer, Centenary College Police
- 2000-2002: On-Air Disc jockey and radio personality, KNCB Radio[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 15
Foy Gadberry defeated Justin Tidwell in the general election for Louisiana House of Representatives District 15 on November 16, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Foy Gadberry (R) | 53.2 | 8,092 | |
 | Justin Tidwell (R)  | 46.8 | 7,114 | |
| Total votes: 15,206 | |||
| = 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 15
Foy Gadberry and Justin Tidwell defeated Drake Graves and Ryan Reid in the primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 15 on October 12, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Foy Gadberry (R) | 37.8 | 4,881 | |
| ✔ | | Justin Tidwell (R) | 29.5 | 3,815 |
| Drake Graves (R) | 21.9 | 2,828 | ||
| Ryan Reid (R) | 10.8 | 1,397 | ||
| Total votes: 12,921 | |||
| = 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
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ryan Reid completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reid's responses.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I'm particularly passionate about lowering taxes. I know too many people who have lost out due to Louisiana's massive taxation policies. Lowering taxes will allow us to get a foothold again. I also want to provide better funding, training, and resources to our law enforcement so that we can put a halt to violent crime. We have led the nation in homicides per capita for thirty years. Add to that our human trafficking rate which has skyrocketed in the last four years, and it's clear that we could be doing better by those who protect and serve. I propose not only helping those in law enforcement on the front end of this issue, but I'd like to deter crime on the back end by stiffening penalties on violent crime, such as trafficking, homicide, and rape. Another issue I'm passionate about is education. We consistently rank at or near the bottom in education, and a lot of that stems from people without classroom experience making the decisions for teachers, administrators, and parents. These are the people who need to be at the forefront of curriculum and policy decisions.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
On a personal level, I look up to my father. I saw from his own work in politics when I was a boy what it takes to be a father who is in politics, what is required to keep a job and serve my people, and what it means to be a man who is willing to stand up and do the right thing.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell would be a great start to better understanding my philosophy. I'm proposing easy to follow legislation that would lower taxes and benefit a supply-side free market economy. The market tends to do best with less government intervention, and it's time that more in government paid attention to that. Let the people decide their own lives, and let government take the role of a referee on the field--not the star player.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I want to leave this world a better place than I found it. I want to make this world a better place simply by having been in it for a short time. Through a life of service, I want to be one who plants trees knowing I will never be the one to sit under their shade.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I recall the Challenger explosion. Being born in '83, I was just a child at the time. I vividly remember the images though. And I recall trying to understand the nature of sacrifice.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I got my first job when I was thirteen. I must've had the job for about a year. I didn't have much at thirteen, but I had a bicycle, a backpack, and a bunch of my mother's cleaning supplies form under the sink. I rode all around town doing janitorial work for local businesses. It wasn't what a lot would call easy work, but it taught me at an early age responsibility and the need for a solid work ethic.
What is your favorite book? Why?
That would probably be Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck had amazing ability to imbue true humanity into his characters and a way to move his audience emotionally. His slice-of-life tales from Depression-era America placed his characters on a predestined track from which readers cannot free themselves despite the seeming will of his figures.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Gosh, probably Godzilla or Ash from the Evil Dead/Army of Darkness films because if any politician tells you they'd have no interest in having radioactive breath or a chainsaw hand, they're a dirty, dirty liar.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
"High Hopes" by Panic at the Disco I'm thinking of making it our unofficial campaign theme.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
I think it is beneficial, as no legislator is a lone wolf. However, legislators aren't there to make friends. I'm not looking to rub elbows. I'll build necessary alliances and win people over with our message. I'm willing to work with others as long as it never compromises my beliefs.
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
It's possible that I might run for another office eventually. In all likelihood, I won't get the opportunity. I've seen what this state's political machine does to those who travel to Baton Rouge to make changes for the right reasons. What sets me apart is that there is so much new blood coming into the legislature this cycle that a strong leader with a plan who is knowledgeable about issues really stands to make a difference. However, I'm going down south with the understanding that I may very well be a one-term proposition.
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?
Absolutely. I hear stories all the time from people struggling to make ends meet in the face of our toxic climate toward business. I have a former student who contacted me a couple of months ago in tears because she didn't want to join the military. In her mind, this was the only option for her. I love my military students, and I support a strong military. But the military should be a first option for those with a heart to serve, not a last resort for those who are desperate. In Louisiana, we're making people choose any option they can just to stay afloat. Many don't. I don't know that I've spoken with a single resident who lacking a family member who has struggled in this state's economy. Declaring bankruptcy, abandoning this state for others, accepting poverty for lack of opportunity, this is the Louisiana we have created. And it breaks my heart.
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
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Footnotes
