Michael Echols

Echols was born in Bastrop, Louisiana, in 1977 and lives in Monroe; according to his campaign materials, he lives there with his wife Christie and their two daughters.[1][2] He graduated from Prairie View Academy and earned a bachelor's degree in accounting (1999) and an M.B.A. (2001) from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.[1][6] He was chief operations officer of Oglesby Financial Group from 2000 to 2007 and associate vice president of marketing and communication at the University of Louisiana at Monroe from 2007 to 2010, and later became director of business development for Vantage Health Plan.[1]

Echols describes himself as leading Echo Development, a real-estate development company that has revitalized historic properties across North Louisiana, and as host of the long-running radio show "Echols at 8."[1] KNOE reports that he is co-owner of The Hotel Monroe.[3] He was a Republican candidate for Louisiana House District 14 in 2011.[1] In 2016 he was elected to the Monroe City Council (District 1), serving as council chair from 2016 to 2017 and on the council until 2020.[1][3]

Echols was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives, District 14, in 2019, took office on January 13, 2020, and was re-elected in 2023.[1][2][6] His committee assignments in the 2025-2026 term include Ways and Means, Health and Welfare, Labor and Industrial Relations, the Joint Capital Outlay Committee and the Medicaid Oversight Committee, and he began serving as House Majority Leader on December 11, 2025.[1][2][3] In 2024 he testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions about Steward Health Care's management of Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe, according to Wikipedia.[2] He qualified in August 2026 as a candidate for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.[7]