Ralph Abraham

Ralph Lee Abraham Jr. (born September 16, 1954) is an American veterinarian, physician, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for LA's 5th congressional district from 2015 to 2021.

A member of the Republican Party, he is a native and resident of Alto, Louisiana.

He graduated from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1980 and was a practicing veterinarian for ten years.

He returned to Louisiana State University School of Medicine for a medical degree in 1994 and practiced family medicine.

Abraham has served in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Mississippi National Guard.

He and his wife, Dianne, have three children.

He has been an aviation medical examiner.

Abraham defeated his Democratic opponent, Mayor Jamie Mayo of Monroe, 134,612 votes (64.2%) to 75,004 (35.8%).

He was sworn into office on January 3, 2015.

In his bid for reelection, Abraham defeated one challenger, fellow Republican Billy Burkette of Baton Rouge, a former constable in East Feliciana Parish and former chairman of the Louisiana Band of Choctaw Indians.

Burkette claimed in his campaign that the Environmental Protection Agency had issued overly strict regulations that hamper farming.

In June 2017, Abraham co-sponsored the Civil Rights Uniformity Act of 2017.

In August 2017, Abraham endorsed President Donald Trump's nomination of Terry Doughty, also of Richland Parish, for a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, based in Monroe.

The selection also carried the backing of U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Neely Kennedy.

In December 2017, Abraham voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

After voting, he said, "This is going to be a great tax bill, and great tax reform not only for Louisiana but for the United States."

He said businesses would benefit greatly and be able to "reinvest in their infrastructure, reinvest in their employees", and that wages would increase and job opportunities grow.

In March 2017, Abraham visited with about 70 farmers from the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, an agricultural lobby.

He told them, "Food security is national security. Agriculture is at the forefront of the fight because any interruption in the food supply or a compromise in its safety goes right to the heart of the nation."

Marty Wooldridge, a cattleman from Caddo Parish, said that Abraham's slogan "Food security is national security" should be incorporated into the Farm Bureau's slogan.

Louisiana's only member on the House Agriculture Committee, Abraham saw his job in part as "educating members whose districts might be deeply metropolitan and who have no perspective on the importance of agriculture."

Abraham defeated three challengers in 2018: Billy Burkette, an Independent from Pride, Louisiana; Jessee Carlton Fleenor, a Democrat from Loranger, and Kyle Randol, a Libertarian from Monroe.

Abraham polled 149,010 votes (67%) to Fleenor's 67,113 votes (30%).

Burkette and Randol received the remaining 3%.

After his election, Abraham chose Luke Letlow, his campaign manager, as chief of staff.

On December 6, 2018, Abraham declared his candidacy for governor of Louisiana in the 2019 Louisiana gubernatorial election.

He placed third, behind fellow Republican Eddie Rispone and Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards, failing to advance to the runoff required under Louisiana law as no candidate received a majority in the primary.

In 2018, he was named to the conference committee for the 2018 Farm Bill.

The conference committee resolves differences in the House and the Senate versions of the Farm Bill.

Abraham believes the Affordable Care Act should be repealed.

He opposes the expansion of Medicaid.

Abraham supports simplifying the tax code.

He supports equal pay for women.

Abraham is in favor of the Keystone Pipeline.

Regarding illegal immigration, Abraham opposed amnesty and supported strengthening border security.

Abraham ran for governor of Louisiana in 2019, but failed to advance to the runoff.

On February 26, 2020, he announced that he would not run for reelection to Congress in 2020.

Abraham is the son of Marlene Posey, a retired educator, and Ralph Abraham Sr. His paternal grandparents were emigrants from Lebanon.

In 2020, Abraham opted not to run for reelection, and endorsed Letlow in the election to succeed him.

Letlow won the election, but died from COVID-19 complications a few days before he was scheduled to take office.