John Milkovich
| John Charles Milkovich | |
|---|---|
| Louisiana State Senator for District 38 (Caddo and DeSoto parishes) | |
|
Assumed office January 11, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Sherri Smith Buffington |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 1957 Roundup, Musselshell County Montana, USA |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Carola Milkovich (married 1985) |
| Children | Sarah Milkovich |
| Alma mater |
University of Chicago |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Religion | Assemblies of God |
John Charles Milkovich (born May 1957)[1] is a Shreveport attorney and a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate for District 38 in northwestern Louisiana. On January 11, 2016, he succeeded Republican Senator Sherri Smith Buffington, who was term-limited after twelve years in the office.
Background
Milkovich was born in Roundup in central Montana. As a young man he worked on cattle ranches along the Musselshell River and in roofing and painting. He studied journalism at the University of Chicago. In 1979, he graduated from the University of Montana at Missoula. He subsequently graduated from the Louisiana State University Law Center in Baton Rouge, at which he was a staffer on the Louisiana Law Review. He claims a commitment to "working families" since he began his law practice.[2] His office is located on Jordan Street in Shreveport.
Milkovich and his wife, Carola, a former educator whom he married in 1985, have a daughter, Sarah. The couple resides in Keithville in south Caddo Parish. He is active in the First Assembly of God Church in Shreveport, having worked in both the church prison ministry and Sunday school.[3]
Political life
To claim the Senate seat, Milkovich on November 21, 2015, defeated the Republican candidate, Richard Burford of DeSoto Parish, a departing member of the District 7 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Milkovich polled 15,665 votes (52.4 percent); Burford, 14,206 (47.6 percent).[4] Milkovich supports strong conservative social and economic positions in sharp contrast to his party.[2] These positions caused many outside his district to think mistakenly that he is a Republican. He focused his emphasis on "Bible principles and the United States Constitution".[5]
In 2008, Milkovich finished third in a four-candidate field for Louisiana's 4th congressional district seat; the subsequent winner of the Democratic nomination was then outgoing Caddo Parish District Attorney Paul Carmouche,.[6] who in turn was narrowly defeated by Republican John C. Fleming, a physician from Minden in Webster Parish. In the year 2008 for the first and only time since 1976, Louisiana used a regular closed primary for its congressional elections. Fleming vacates the seat in 2016 to run for the United States Senate.
In March 2016, Milkovich was the only Senate Democrat to oppose the bipartisan majority for a one-cent increase in the state sales tax for a five-year period. Senators voted 29-10 for the tax hike, a part of the revenue-raising measures pushed by new Governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.[7] A House and Senate conference committee subsequently trimmed the five years to twenty-seven months, effective from April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018. Even the sale of Bibles and religious publications and Girl Scout cookies are now subject to the tax.[8]
On March 24, 2016, Milkovich announced that he will not support Hillary Clinton as his party's 2016 presidential nominee. He did not specify if he would instead back the Republican nominee.[9]
References
- ↑ "John Milkovich, May 1957". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- 1 2 "John Milkovich". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ↑ "About John Milkovich". johnmilkovichforcongress.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Results for Election Date: 11/21/2015". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ↑ "Milkovich makes Senate run official". KTBS-TV. June 23, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 4, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ↑ "The Louisiana Senate Just Voted for Five Years of the Nation's Highest Sales Tax". The Hayride. March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ↑ "See the list: Examples of goods, services that'll now be taxed in Louisiana". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ↑ The C. L. Bryant Show, Shreveport, Louisiana, March 24, 2016
| Louisiana Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sherri Smith Buffington |
Louisiana State Senator for District 38 (Caddo and DeSoto parishes) John Charles Milkovich |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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