Representative Vance M. McAllister

Vance Michael McAllister Sr. (born January 7, 1974) is an American businessman and Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana’s 5th congressional district. He served one term in Congress from 2013 to 2015, having won a special runoff election held on November 16, 2013, for the seat vacated by fellow Republican Rodney Alexander. During his tenure, he participated in the legislative process as a member of the House of Representatives, representing the interests of his northeast Louisiana constituents during a significant period in contemporary American political history.

McAllister was born in Oak Grove, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, and grew up in rural northeast Louisiana. He graduated from Forest High School in Forest, Louisiana, in 1992. Following high school, he attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He also served in the United States Army from 1992 to 1994 and later continued his military involvement in the Louisiana National Guard, experiences that contributed to his public image as a veteran and small-town businessman when he later sought elected office.

Before entering Congress, McAllister worked in the private sector and became a businessman and entrepreneur in northeast Louisiana. He owned and co-owned several small businesses, building a profile in the local business community that helped form the basis of his outsider, non-establishment appeal when he ran for Congress. His business background and ties to the region positioned him as a candidate who emphasized economic development and conservative values rooted in his local community.

McAllister’s congressional career began with the 2013 special election triggered by the resignation of Representative Rodney Alexander. In the November 16, 2013 runoff, he defeated State Senator Neil Riser, the perceived GOP establishment favorite, by a margin of 59.7 percent (54,449 votes) to 40.3 percent (36,837 votes). The race drew national attention, in part because of high-profile endorsements he received from “Duck Dynasty” figures Phil and Willie Robertson, and because his victory was widely regarded as an upset. Sworn in near the end of 2013, McAllister served in the 113th Congress and was assigned to the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Natural Resources, where he contributed to legislative deliberations on issues important to his largely rural district.

McAllister’s tenure in Congress was soon overshadowed by personal controversy. On April 7, 2014, the Ouachita Citizen newspaper of West Monroe posted online a surveillance video from an anonymous source showing McAllister kissing a staff member, later identified as Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock, in his Monroe district office. The video, recorded on December 23, 2013, depicted an extramarital encounter with Peacock, a married, longtime employee. McAllister’s aide Leah Gordon was alleged to have leaked the video to the newspaper; both Gordon and Peacock resigned in 2014. In response, McAllister issued a public statement acknowledging his misconduct: “There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve.” The incident prompted calls for his resignation from Louisiana Republican Party chairman Roger F. Villere Jr., Governor Bobby Jindal, and editorial voices such as Hammond’s Daily Star. At the same time, he received some public expressions of empathy from colleagues, including Representative Cedric Richmond, the sole Democrat in Louisiana’s U.S. House delegation, who criticized the partisan “gotcha” atmosphere, and Representative Bill Cassidy, who urged respect for the McAllister family’s privacy and invoked the Golden Rule.

The scandal also intersected with broader concerns about money and influence in Washington. In June 2014, the non-profit watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington requested that the Department of Justice and the House Ethics Committee investigate a published statement from McAllister that an unnamed colleague had told him he would receive a $1,200 contribution from The Heritage Foundation for voting against a measure related to the Bureau of Land Management. McAllister stated that he had not received such a donation, attributing that in part to the group being “upset” with him after the revelations of his affair. He further maintained that he had not cast his vote with the expectation of receiving money, but had disclosed the conversation to illustrate how “money controls Washington” and how congressional work can become a “steady cycle of voting for fundraising and money instead of voting for what is right.” A spokesman for The Heritage Foundation categorically denied the allegation, stating that the organization does not make political donations and does not involve itself in political bills.

The controversy significantly affected McAllister’s political standing and his plans for continued service in Congress. On April 8, 2014, the day after information about the affair was posted, he initially announced that he planned to run for re-election. On April 28, 2014, he reversed course, stating that he would serve out his term but not seek re-election. He later changed his mind again and entered the race for a full term in the 2014 election. Under Louisiana’s “top two” primary system, McAllister ran in the November 4, 2014 primary but did not advance to the December 6 runoff. Certified results show that he received 11.11 percent of the vote (26,606 votes), finishing behind Republican Ralph Abraham and Democrat Jamie Mayo, who moved on to the runoff. As a result, McAllister’s service in the House concluded at the end of his first term in January 2015.

After leaving Congress, McAllister remained intermittently active in Louisiana politics. In 2015 he ran for the Louisiana State Senate in District 33, challenging incumbent Republican State Senator Mike Walsworth. In the October 24, 2015 blanket primary, Walsworth defeated McAllister, winning 62.3 percent of the vote to McAllister’s 37.7 percent. McAllister then returned primarily to private life and business pursuits, though his post-congressional years were marked by continuing financial and legal difficulties.

In later years, McAllister faced significant personal financial challenges. On September 27, 2017, a Louisiana judge issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for a debt hearing. Court filings indicated that he had previously failed to appear for other debt hearings and that he was alleged to owe $296,000 to one bank and $250,000 to another. McAllister told local media that the warrant stemmed from a misunderstanding with his attorney about the date of the debt-collection hearing. Despite these difficulties and the controversies that marked his brief tenure in federal office, his service from 2013 to 2015 remains part of the historical record of Louisiana’s representation in the United States Congress.