Clay Higgins Bio
Glen Clay Higgins, known publicly as Clay Higgins, is an American politician and reserve law enforcement officer serving as the United States representative for Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district. A Republican, he first won his seat in a December 2016 runoff election and has remained in Congress since being sworn in on January 3, 2017. Higgins gained national attention through his Crime Stoppers videos while working as a public information officer in St. Landry Parish, where his intense, direct-to-camera style earned him the nickname the “Cajun John Wayne.” Beyond law enforcement, he is known for his membership in the House Freedom Caucus and for political views that have been described as far-right.
Born on August 24, 1961, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Higgins grew up in a large family and later settled in Port Barre, where he lives with his wife Becca. He balances his work in the House of Representatives with a reserve law enforcement commission held through the Louisiana attorney general’s office.
Early Life and Background
Early Life and Background
Glen Clay Higgins was born on August 24, 1961, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was raised as the seventh of eight children. When he was six years old, his family relocated to Covington, Louisiana, a community on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The Higgins family raised and trained horses, an experience that shaped his childhood and tied him to the rural traditions of south Louisiana.
He attended Covington High School, where he completed his secondary education before going on to enroll at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Higgins attended the university but did not graduate, leaving before earning a degree. His early adulthood was soon shaped by military service and a developing interest in law enforcement.
Path to US Politics
At the age of 18, Higgins enlisted in the Military Police Corps of the Louisiana National Guard. He served for six years, from 1979 to 1985, and rose to the rank of staff sergeant, gaining the disciplined structure and law enforcement instincts that would later define his public image. After leaving the Guard, he worked for several years as a manager of car dealerships, building a professional life outside of uniformed service.
His entry into public life began in 2004, when he became a patrol officer with the Opelousas City Police Department. By 2007, he faced serious internal discipline over allegations that he had used excessive force on a handcuffed suspect and then lied about it. Higgins resigned before action was taken, and he later moved to the Port Barre Police Department, where he served through 2010. In 2011, he joined the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, and in 2014, he was promoted to captain and named the office’s public information officer. It was in this role that his Crime Stoppers videos went viral, and his tough, old-west style of addressing suspects directly drew national media attention and the “Cajun John Wayne” label. He resigned from the sheriff’s office in February 2016 after disagreements with leadership over the tone of his videos. Shortly after, he was sworn in as a reserve deputy marshal in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Clay Higgins Career
Early Career (2004–2016)
Higgins’s early professional path in law enforcement began in 2004 with the Opelousas City Police Department, where he served as a patrol officer. He left that department in 2007 amid an internal investigation into an alleged use of force on a handcuffed suspect and a related accusation that he had provided false statements. He then joined the Port Barre Police Department, working there through 2010, before moving to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office in 2011.
Within the sheriff’s office, he rose to captain and took on the role of public information officer in 2014. His Crime Stoppers videos, in which he addressed suspects by name and urged them to turn themselves in, attracted widespread attention. In 2015, national media began referring to him as the “Cajun John Wayne.” Sheriff Bobby Guidroz repeatedly warned him to moderate his tone and accused him of insubordination, and Higgins resigned in February 2016. By the time he left, he had been involved in several controversies, including the use of his uniform and badge in personal business ventures.
Breakthrough (2016)
Higgins’s breakthrough into electoral politics came in 2016, when he declared his candidacy for Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district in May of that year. He crossed district lines to run, as his home in Port Barre lies in the neighboring 5th district, though members of the House are only required to live in the state they represent. A super PAC tied to former U.S. senator David Vitter’s former chief of staff supported his bid.
In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on November 8, 2016, Higgins finished second behind fellow Republican Scott Angelle. The two faced off in a runoff on December 10, 2016, and Higgins won with 56.1 percent of the vote. He was sworn into the United States House of Representatives on January 3, 2017, beginning his tenure as a congressman.
Republican Era (2017–Present)
Since taking office, Higgins has been a consistent conservative voice in the House. He joined the House Freedom Caucus and has been identified as holding far-right political views. He has voted with the majority of his party on major legislation, including the American Health Care Act of 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of December 2017, and a resolution supporting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2018. He signed onto the amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania in December 2020, contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election.
His tenure has also included more visible public controversies, including a 2017 Facebook post following the London Bridge attack, a widely criticized 2017 YouTube video filmed at the Auschwitz concentration camp, a 2020 social media post about Black Lives Matter protesters, and a 2024 post about Haitians. On November 18, 2025, he was the sole member of Congress to vote against the Epstein Files Transparency Act. In July 2024, he was named to a bipartisan House task force investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. He has continued to maintain a reserve law enforcement commission with the Louisiana attorney general’s office.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Higgins’s signature moments is his December 10, 2016, runoff victory that sent him to Congress, followed by his subsequent reelections, which he has won with commanding margins, including 67.76 percent in one race and 70.6 percent in another. In 2016, he was awarded the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel by Kentucky governor Matt Bevin, a recognition tied to his public service. He is also noted for being the sole member of Congress to vote against the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025.
Clay Higgins Family
Family Background and Personal Lineage
Higgins was raised as the seventh of eight children in a family that moved from New Orleans to Covington, Louisiana, when he was six years old. The family raised and trained horses, instilling in him an early connection to animal care and the rural rhythms of south Louisiana life.
Personal Life
Higgins has been married four times. His first marriage was to Eloisa Rovati, with whom he had a daughter who died a few months after birth; they later divorced, and Rovati later died in an automobile crash. His second marriage was to Rosemary Rothkamm-Hambrice, who had a child from a previous marriage that Higgins adopted, and with whom he had two more children before their 1999 divorce; Rothkamm-Hambrice filed suit against him the day after the 2016 election for unpaid child support. His third marriage was to Kara Seymour, which also ended in divorce. Higgins currently lives in Port Barre, Louisiana, with his fourth wife, Becca. He is a Protestant.
Clay Higgins Career Wins
Election Wins
Higgins has won every congressional election he has entered since his 2016 debut. He captured his first seat with 56.1 percent of the vote in the December 10, 2016, runoff against Scott Angelle. In his first reelection, he defeated six challengers without the need for a runoff, with the endorsement of Donald Trump. He has since been reelected with wide margins, including 67.76 percent in one cycle and 70.6 percent in another, demonstrating sustained support in Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district.
Honors and Recognitions
In March 2016, Higgins was awarded the title of Kentucky Colonel by Kentucky governor Matt Bevin, an honor reflecting his public profile at the time.