Valarie Hodges

Who is Valarie Hodges?

Valarie Dawn Hope Hodges is a businesswoman from Denham Springs in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 64. In addition to Denham Springs, Hodges represents the communities of Brownsfield, Pride, Watson, Central, Walker, Baker, and a portion of Zachary within Livingston or East Baton Rouge parishes.

Politically allied with U.S. Senator David Vitter, Hodges was elected in 2011 to succeed fellow Republican Representative Bodi White, who instead was elected to the revamped District 6 seat in the Louisiana State Senate to succeed Julie Quinn, who did not seek reelection. Hodges defeated fellow Republican Barry Elkins in the primary election held on October 22, 2011. She received 7,145 votes to Elkins' 3,194.

Hodges carried the support of the Tea Party movement. She also won the support of Governor Bobby Jindal.

Hodges is one of the eight members of the executive committee of the Republican State Executive Committee. She is a past president of the Livingston Parish Republican Women's Club. She met her husband, Leland M. Hodges, at Central High School, from which they graduated. The couple was wed in 1972 in the Amite Baptist Church in Watson. They have three children, Michael Leland Hodges, and Kellie Nicole Hodges. The Hodgeses jointly own and operate two small businesses.