John Felix Anders, known as Andy Anders (born May 1956), is a farmer and agricultural equipment salesman from Clayton

Clayton, Louisiana

Clayton is a town in northern Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 858 at the 2000 census. Cotton is a principal commodity in the area. Clayton is located on the Tensas River, important for fishing and boating, promoted through a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-maintained...

 in eastern Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

, who is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Louisiana House of Representatives

Louisiana House of Representatives

The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...

 from District 21 (Concordia

Concordia Parish, Louisiana

Concordia Parish borders the Mississippi River in eastern Louisiana. The parish seat is Vidalia. As of 2000, the population was 20,247. It is part of the Natchez, MS–LA Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Prehistory:...

 and parts of Tensas

Tensas Parish, Louisiana

Tensas Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is St. Joseph. In 2010, the population of Tensas Parish was 5,252; it is the least-populous of all sixty-four parishes....

, Madison

Madison Parish, Louisiana

-National protected areas:* Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge * Vicksburg National Military Park -Demographics:-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S...

, and East Carroll

East Carroll Parish, Louisiana

East Carroll Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lake Providence and as of 2010, the population was 7,759.-Law and government:In the 2004 presidential race, East Carroll gave the George W. Bush - Richard B...

 parishes).

Anders graduated in 1979 from Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...

 in Ruston

Ruston, Louisiana

Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...

, where he procured a Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree in agriculture and business. He is a farm equipment sales representative. He also raises cattle and hay. Anders and his wife, the former Nancy Ratcliff, have three daughters, Dr. Bridget Anders Milliken and husband, Dr. Tom Terry Milliken; Dr. Rachel Anders Durel and husband, Dr. Jason Durel, and Emily Cooper Anders.

Anders initially won his House seat in a special election held on September 20, 2006, to replace the Democrat Bryant Hammett

Bryant Hammett

Bryant O'Dare Hammett, Jr. , is a civil engineer and land surveyor from Ferriday in Concordia Parish in eastern Louisiana, who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992-2006....

, who resigned to become secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in the administration of Governor Kathleen Blanco

Kathleen Blanco

Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....

. He polled 4,616 (49.2 percent) and defeated two fellow Democrats to fill the fifteen months remaining in Hammett's term. In the regular nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007, Anders, with 8,254 voters (60.75 percent), defeated three intraparty rivals.

Anders is chairman of the House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee and serves too on the Insurance and Homeland Security committees. He is a member of the Tensas-Concordia Soil and Water Conservation Board, the Concordia Farm Bureau Board, and the State and Rural Agriculture Leadership. He is also a member of Ferriday Rotary International

Rotary International

Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...

.
In 2010, Anders's voting record was ranked 75 percent by the conservative Louisiana Family Forum

Louisiana Family Forum

Louisiana Family Forum is a social conservative non-profit advocacy group based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The organization supports Louisiana's covenant marriage law and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage...

 and 69 percent by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, known by the acronym LABI, is the largest and most successful business lobbying group in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded in Baton Rouge in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law during the administration of Democratic...

. In the 2011 legislative session, Anders voted to make the cigarette tax permanent and to establish a commission to investigate the proposed abolition of the state income tax

State income tax

State and local income taxes are imposed in addition to Federal income tax. State income tax is allowed as a deduction in computing Federal income tax, subject to limitations for individuals. Some localities impose an income tax, often based on state income tax calculations. Forty-three states...

.

Anders won reelection to the House in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on Octoberr 22, 2011. He defeated fellow Democrat Justin "Preacher" Conner of Ferriday, 9,217 votes (69.4 percent) to 4,060 votes (30.6 percent).