BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus has a new chairman.

On Wednesday, State Rep. Vincent Pierre was elected as chairman to replace State Rep. Ted James.

James was recently named Regional 6 Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration by President Joe Biden.

Louisiana Democratic Party Chairwoman Katie Bernhardt issued the following statement regarding the election of Rep. Pierre:

“Rep. Pierre is a strong Democratic voice who will fiercely serve the Black Caucus; as former Chairman of the Acadiana Delegation and Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, I know he will be a huge asset for the caucus and an unceasing advocate for minority communities in our state. I cannot wait to work alongside Rep. Pierre and see all he has in store as we gear up for the 2022 Legislative Sessions.”

Pierre represents House District 44 in Lafayette.