Senator Bob Hensgens Contact information

Bob Hensgens, whose full name is Craig Robert Hensgens, was born on January 26, 1955. He is a member of the Republican Party and currently serves as a state senator for District 26. This district encompasses the Louisiana parishes of Vermilion and portions of Acadia, Lafayette, and St. Landry.

Hensgens won a special election on November 6, 2018, for the Senate seat with 60 percent of the vote. His current term ends on January 10, 2028. He was re-elected to the Louisiana State Senate to represent District 26 outright in the primary on October 14, 2023, after the primary and general election were canceled.

Before his tenure in the Senate, Hensgens was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing District 47 from 2011 to 2018. He was first elected to the chamber in a special election on April 30, 2011. He resigned after his election to the state Senate. Interestingly, Hensgens was sworn in as representative by his friend and predecessor in the office, Senator Jonathan Perry. This was the first time in Louisiana history in which a state senator swore in a representative.

Prior to his election to the House, Hensgens, as a Democrat, served nearly four years as the mayor of Gueydan, a town near Abbeville. He has also worked as an administrator at the Gueydan Memorial Guest Home in Gueydan, Louisiana since 2009.

In terms of education, Hensgens attended Vermilion Catholic High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His professional experience includes working as a managing partner of MH3F HealthCare.

Throughout his political career, Hensgens has served on various committees. From 2012 to 2015, he served as vice chair of the House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee. During the 2019–2020 legislative session, he served as vice chair of the House Judiciary C Committee. Since 2021, he has served as chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.