Rick Edmonds

Rick Edmonds is a Baptist pastor and Republican state senator from Baton Rouge who served in the Louisiana House from 2016 to 2024 and now chairs the Senate Education Committee.[1][2][4] He originally announced for the 5th Congressional District and qualified for the 6th District in August 2026 after the maps were redrawn.[2][3][5]

Edmonds was born on September 12, 1956, in Shreveport, Louisiana, and lives in Baton Rouge.[2] He earned a B.A. from East Texas Baptist University in 1979 and a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1990.[1][2][4] A pastor, he has served churches including Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport and is currently senior pastor of First Baptist Church of McComb, Mississippi, a position he says he commutes to while living in the 6th District.[2][3] According to Wikipedia, he was also previously involved with the Louisiana Family Forum.[2]

Edmonds won Louisiana House District 66 in 2015, defeating Republican incumbent Darrell Ourso, and served from January 2016 to January 2024.[1][2] In the 2018 special election for Louisiana Secretary of State, he finished fourth with 11% of the vote.[2]

Edmonds won Louisiana Senate District 6 in 2023, defeating Rep. Barry Ivey with 62% of the vote, and took office on January 8, 2024.[1][2][4] He chairs the Senate Education Committee in 2025-2026 and also serves on the Insurance, Judiciary A and Finance committees.[1] After announcing for the 5th Congressional District, he qualified for the 6th District in August 2026 once the May elections were canceled and the maps redrawn.[2][3][5]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.